Collecting the Pieces of a Broken Mirror
by Ammethystine
Summary: Raven decides to open up a bit with her friends, but nothing is perfect. As she faces her demon side and wakes up from a coma two years later, some things are changed and there is a problem...
1. Rain, Candlelight and Tofu Pancakes

**Collecting the Pieces of a Broken Mirror**

_' Thought _'

"Speech"

**Chapter 1: Rain, Candlelight and Tofu Pancakes

* * *

**

It was raining a lot in Jump City. It would be more appropriate to say the sky seemed to be falling down. In that cold night, inside a T-shaped tower, four teen heroes were asleep. A gothic girl, the last member of the team, was seating on the couch, reading. Her legs were crossed, her cloak was thrown away behind the couch, her short, purple hair insisted in falling over her eyes.

Raven took a deep breath, wondering what time that would be. She looked around. The microwave oven's clock told her in a faint green it was already two in the morning.

_'Maybe I could read a bit more...'_

As soon as she thought that, the living room lights went off. The microwave's clock went off as well. With a moan of frustration, she walked through the darkness-filled room, opened the refrigerator's door and tried to guess which bottle contained her herbal tea. The one she grabbed smelled orange juice.

_'Whatever.'_

She drank a glass of juice - _'It kinda tastes okay..._' - and went after candles. Raven could not remember where she had seen the candles for the last time, so she spent a little more time than she thought she would. The candles were under the first aid kit, which was behind the alcohol bottles inside a dark cupboard. She took two or three of them, lit the first one and placed it on the table. Moments later its fire extinguished. Raven groaned and lit it again. When she did this she saw someone on the opposite side of the table. This made her let out a shriek and drop the candle.

"Hey, Raven! Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you this much!"

It was Beast Boy.

"It's alright." Raven said, eliminating the tiny fire that had begun to burn the carpet. "But what are you doing up this... early?"

He chuckled. "Light's gone... so the fan went off and my room got pretty hot and I couldn't sleep... what 'bout you?"

She shrugged. "I was reading when..."

"WHAT? You haven't got any sleep?"

"Um... yeah. Something... wrong about it?"

"N-Nothing... I just think you could use some rest." He blushed slightly and looked away.

She stared at him. Was he... concerned? "T-Thank you... I guess."

"You're always welcome... hehe... A... um... so... do you like the sound of the raindrops?", he started, looking at the window and noticing the darkness outside.

"U-hum... I've always liked the rain. Even though this one has lasted for too long."

"Yeah... three days, ain't it?"

"Do you like it?"

"Rain is a beautiful thing... um... Almost as beautiful as you, Rae." He winked at her. Raven almost smiled, but simply looked at him almost incredulously. "I'm serious!" he said.

"Are you?"

"How can I prove it?"

Man, she looked gorgeous on that candlelight. Actually, she always looked gorgeous. And she was always so serious, so brave, so fragile and feminine and yet so strong. She was just so... Raven. The Raven he had liked, or loved, for so much time! He blushed and suddenly started looking at his feet as if they were the most incredible things ever. _'Nah, Raven is..._'.

"Beast Boy?" she whispered softly. He raised his eyes and met hers. Her eyes told him she wanted him closer, and he was willing to accept the invitation.

"How could you prove it?", she whispered again. _'Why am I doing this?'_, she asked herself. He noticed she was nervous. _'Why would she be nervous? Does that mean she... likes me?'_.

Beast Boy decided to come closer. He walked around the table slowly, capturing with his excellent vision every move, every curve, everything of her. He stopped, noticing he was so close he could even feel her breath.

"Hi, y'all!"

Cyborg appeared under the doorway. Starfire and Robin were walking down the hall to meet their friends. They were all wearing pajamas, except for Raven and Cyborg. '_Thank you, darkness, my friend! _' Raven thought.

"Well... seems like no one can sleep anymore... no light, no fan, only thunders and lightnings." Said Cyborg

"Yeah... so what are we gonna do?" asked Robin.

"I shall prepare a pudding of lightlessness!"

"Um... Star?"

"Yes, my friend Robin?"

"Why... why don't we all sit here and talk? We could tell creepy stories!"

"Crappy stories? But, Robin, what would be the use of that?"

"He said 'creepy', not 'crappy'" said Beast Boy, slipping silently to the other side of the table.

"And what would be the signification of this word, 'creepy', my friend?"

"Scary."

"Oh..."

'I'd better go to my room.' Raven said to herself as she went upstairs.

Beast Boy threw a last glance on Raven before she went to her bedroom. Starfire noticed the sad look in his face.

"What is troubling you, friend Beast Boy? Is there something I could do in order to help you?"

"Nah, Star... it's alright."

"Well," said Robin "Are you guys hungry? I think it would be nice to make some coffee and begin earlier today, huh?"

"Agreed, Robin! Then I shall call upon Raven. She may want some food as well."

What was she thinking? What she almost dared to say? What she almost dared to do? WHY did she almost dared to... it wasn't possible. She couldn't like... oh, well... be attracted to BEAST BOY! After the "Nevermore" incident they had become closer, that was true. But not THAT closer! Even if she had any feelings for him, she would not let them out. It could kill him! SHE could kill him! But.. why was she so worried about him? He was just a boy! A boy with a cute green skin, beautiful olive eyes, great sense of humor, always trying to make her smile, and she always felt like she was the luckiest girl in the world when he was around and.. wait a minute! She actually like him! She had liked him since they first met two years before. She... - Raven swallowed hard - loved him. It was something that had grown inside him, and there was nothing she could do to change it. Okay, then... she would try to concentrate harder and try to keep the rhythm. _'Let's see where and how it's going to end up...'_

"Hum... friend Raven?"

"Yeah, Star?"

"Do you wish to join us in our early break of the fast?"

"Star, I... don't feel hungry."

"But then simply join us!" Star smiled when she finished the sentence. She looked so sure her friend would say yes...

"No!", Raven said. But when she saw Starfire's sad look, she added "I won't just join you.. I'll cook breakfast today."

"Wonderful!"

When the girls entered the living room, Starfire smiled at Raven and sat down to talk to Robin. Cyborg and Beast Boy were arguing about the breakfast, as usual. She noticed no one was wearing pajamas anymore.

"Boys...", she started, trying to get their attention.

"NO, CYBORG! I WANT TOFU!"

"Er... boys?"

"I DON' T CARE 'BOUT WATCHA WANT! I WANT REAL EGGS! REAL MILK!"

"I.. um..."

"DUDE! I'VE ALREADY TOLDJA! I'VE BEEN MOST OF THOSE ANIMALS AND..."

"Oh, well... ". Raven tried to ignore their yelling and fighting, and simply lit another candle to be able to see what she was doing and grabbed the ingredients she would need in order to prepare a decent breakfast. She prepared the stove and started making pancakes, waffles and stuff, but didn't notice a green face watching her closely.

"Dude... whatcha doin'?"

She jumped and almost dropped boiling water on her lap.

"I'm cooking breakfast... for today. Just relax and go play something. It'll be done in a minute," she said in her monotone tone.

Cyborg shrugged and turned his back at them. "At least it's not Beast Boy cooking... Thanks, Rae! I'll live one more morning!" Beast Boy ignored Cyborg's teasing and stared at her when she was looking away. He observed each one of her elegant moves in awe. He would tell her about his feelings one day. But not today... Why bother? He was happy only by being able to look at her, to imagine in his daydreaming. He would tell anyway, but there was no need to hurry. They had all the time of the world...

"Hey, BB!", Cyborg yelled. "Wanna play cards?"

"Sure," he answered vaguely, still dreaming about his tempting teammate... HIS? Yeah... how he wished she was...

After some minutes, Raven had almost finished cooking. She cooked each Titan's favorite breakfast and placed the eggs, milk, pancakes, cereals, waffles and so on at the table. Beast Boy noticed there was no tofu or soy-made food there. A bit disappointed, he went looking for something he could eat without remorse.

"What are you doing?", Raven asked.

"Nah... just looking for food...", he blushed a little, but was disappointed Raven did not cook any tofu. She knew how much he liked it, didn't she? Didn't... she?

"Why? I have already cooked something for you."

"Y-You have? Where is it?", he said as he raised his eyes and looked at her. She was holding a plate and a glass of milk, or at least that seemed to be milk.

"Here it is," she said, giving him the plate with tofu pancakes and fake eggs and the glass containing soy milk.

"T-thanks, Rae..."

"No problem."  
"Uh.. where is your food?"

She looked at the table. The others were doing a huge mess.

"I haven't cooked my food as yet."

"Ok, I'll do it for you!"

"But then your food will grow cold..."

"I don't care. We could eat together, wadja think?"

She raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Is that your idea of a date?"

"Not really... but if you agree, I could show you someday..."

"Now are you asking me out?"

"I... uh... Yeah...," he said as his skin turned scarlet. '_I'm lucky it's dark...' _"I'll get your food!."

She repressed a chuckle as he turned his back. _'Does that mean he.. likes me back?'_ After what seemed to be a second, Beast Boy was back. He had prepared some herbal tea and a tofu thingy.

"I'll have the tea, Beast Boy, but not the tofu..."

"But, Rae! You haven't even tasted it yet!"

"Thanks for the tea."

"Dude! Rae..." when she looked at his eyes he made 'The Face'.

"Beast Boy! How are you able to do the face even in your human body? That is not fair, you know..."

"Hehe, I know! But will you have some? Pleeeeease!"

"Hum... no."

"Oh, c'mon, Rae! I'll give you a kiss if you eat at least a bit of it!"

"One more reason for me not to eat it."

"Then I'll give you a kiss if you don't!"

"Unfair. That is low and..."

While she was speaking, he somehow was able to put some of it on her mouth. He looked at her hopefully as she unwillingly chew the mouthful of tofu. At first, the look on her face made it seem like she was chewing a VERY sour lemon. Then her expression changed: she was liking it. When she swallowed it, she only mumbled a "it is not that bad, after all...".

"So you like it?"

"Kinda..."

"Then can I kiss you now?", he said as he looked at her languidly.

"No", she said simply as she took a sip of her tea.

"You really don't want it?"

She put her tea mug away, and looked right at him, causing him to feel a chill running down his spine. She was smiling with her eyes. He could not explain how someone could smile with his eyes, but she was! She opened her mouth slowly, teasing him, and when he had his eyes fixed on it, she said...

"No."

"THAT is not fair!", he chuckled.

"Define fair," she said as she went to the kitchen sink to drop her plate. Then she left Beast Boy sitting on the couch to eat his early breakfast and went to the others.

"So... How's it?"

"Wonderful, friend! I did not acknowledge you were able to prepare so tasteful aliment!"

"Nice, Raven!"

"Yeah, lady! Cook more often! You're a hundred times better than BB there..."

"Hey... don't expect me to do this often... you and Beast Boy are the cookers of this tower."

"Anyway, Rae, thanks for the very early breakfast!"

"You're welcome", she said.

Then the T-Alarm began to ring. Robin stood and pointed at the door as he shouted his usual "TITANS, GO!"


	2. Fire and a Shattered Mirror

**Collecting the Pieces of a Broken Mirror**

_' Thought _'

"Speech"

**Chapter 2: Fire and a Shattered Mirror

* * *

**

Cyborg couldn't see a thing. The windshield of his baby was being bombarded by the raindrops, but he managed to find his way. After long minutes, they reached their destination: a circus. It has been closed down five years ago, and now there was nothing but the red-and-white canvas used as a ceiling, hundreds of bats and an eerie feeling. Or at least it seemed so.

Robin was the first one entering it, cautiously looking for someone or something that could have caused the alarm to go off. Finding nothing but darkness, he called out for his fellow teammates. Starfire used her powers and lightened up the place.

"Creepy...", mumbled Beast Boy, morphing into a bat and flying around.

The sound of the rain was amplified and echoed, causing the Titans to shiver slightly.

"Looks like there's nothing here... must've been a false alarm or something...", said Cyborg. "Let's get outta here, this place is making me shiver!"

They all nodded and were heading to the exit when the lights suddenly turned on. They all looked around, alarmed, and noticed a huge mirror in the circus ring.

"It wasn't there before," said Robin, synthesizing all the Titan's thoughts.

"But then, how did this huge reflection device appeared of all sudden?", asked Star, a bit scared. She had never liked circus, and most clowns frightened her.

"Dunno...", mumbled Robin, getting closer to it. "Better check it..."

Raven had a bad feeling about all of this. Minutes before, she had heard laughter blent in the raindrops' singing, and it was weird enough to make one's blood run cold. She looked at Beast Boy. He appeared to be quite calm, and that eased her. He had a very good hearing, and if he hadn't hear anything weird, so it was everything okay. It could only be her imagination, something from her head, but her blood was colder indeed...

Her... head...

Her head and her blood? Well, she knew quite well what she had inside them, which was not very comforting...

'_Calm down, girl... you are nuts, that's all. Nothing is going wrong, everything is gonna be alright. Everything.'_

She got lost in her thoughts for a minute. When she finally got out of her mental maze, she noticed Beast Boy was waving his hand in front if her eyes, smiling.

"Hey, y'alright?"

"Yes..."

"You don't seem well... what's the matter?"

She smiled at him discreetly. It was amazing the way she felt secure when he was around.

"Don't worry, Beast Boy... I guess it's alright."

"Then come," he said, grabbing her hand and taking her to the front of the mirror. Her skin felt so soft that in spite of the situation, he felt like he could just turn and kiss her. This feeling grew and grew inside him each time he looked at her. So it was it. When they were back at the T-Tower, he would tell her everything. It wouldn't be so bad... she apparently had some feelings for him, too.

Everyone else was checking their reflection. They were... kind of having fun.

Raven looked at Robin's reflection, and then Starfire's and Cyborg's. She lingered at Beast Boy's and then looked at herself. There was a flash, and then she saw her father standing where she was supposed to be.

_'No... no!'_

She felt something pushing her down and fell on her knees, still looking at the mirror. Her father kneeled down too. Then it hit her. It was not her father. It was... HERSELF!

"NO! I AM NOT LIKE HIM!", she yelled. Everyone then turned at her, worried.

She could not take it. She was not like her father! She never could be like him! But, then why was she seeing him...?

"Rae...? What's wrong?", Beast Boy asked softly. He acted normal, but he was very worried.

"NO! NO!... no...", she said, and started crying. She was not really sad, but she was losing control and fighting herself to keep it. Her emotions were running loose. Things started to blow up, and Raven sobbed harder. She couldn't stop herself.

Beast Boy hugged her, stroked her hair and whispered comforting words, trying to calm her down. The Titans gathered around her, none of them really knew what was happening or what to do.

Starfire looked at the mirror and let out a shriek. There were no Titans in the Mirror, was only a deformed creature with red skin and four yellow eyes. They all stepped back. Raven shook and stared at her reflection hatefully. Beast Boy and Cyborg knew what that thing was, but they did not know how it got there. It was supposed to be imprisoned in Raven's mind!

Raven stood up, shaking from head to toe. She glanced at their friends, asking for help silently. But none of them could help her, mainly because all the shadows of the place started to move around them, closer and closer, until each one of her friends was tied up and immobilized by the darkness.

They screamed in pain as the shadow's grip grew tighter each passed second. Stunned, all Raven could think about was destroying the mirror.

Her eyes grew white as she chanted "Azarath, Metrion... ZINTHOS" and black energy blades flew from her hands. The giant mirror shattered into millions of pieces, but the shadows were still there, and the Titans, her friends, would die if she couldn't do anything.

The Titans were trying to defend themselves, but it was useless. All they would get was exhaustion. Raven tried to calm down and help her, but in vain. There was this loud, intense noise in her head that was driving her to despair.

She looked at the floor. There were hundreds of mirror pieces, each one showing a red skinned, yellow-eyed, evil, Raven.

She yelled as she saw her friends pain. She could hear Cyborg's parts crushing and Starfire's eyes slowly turning blank as she screamed no more - '_Unconscious_'. Robin was still fighting it, and she could hear his ribs cracking. Beast Boy's arm was twisted in a strange way, and a small track of blood was running down form his mouth to his chin.

It was more than she could take, and her eyes turned red. Her demon side was free.

oOo

The Titans were worried. Raven fell down and started to cry and to scream. It was not like her... what was the matter?

Robin patted her shoulder, but it was like she hadn't felt it. Starfire called her softly - she was someone Raven never had (completely) ignored. However, Raven continued sobbing. Cyborg wondered what could be wrong, even though he had been in Raven's mind before, and knew what could be found there. Beast Boy knelt down by her side. He was worried about her.

All of a sudden, her eyes glowed red. - _'Uh-oh.. not a good sign...' _- She stood and walked to the mirror almost like the zombie in a movie they had watched a few days before. Raven placed her hand on the cold object, and it glowed as red as her eyes. Smiling, she took a step back. The mirror seemed to melt, becoming an huge silver ball.

Silence fell upon them. A second later, the ball exploded and millions of mirror fragments shone in the air. Raven regained control.

"W-what happened? Are you guys... okay?"

"Sure, Raven. Are you hurt?", asked Beast Boy.

"No! And... and the shadows? How did you... ?"

"What shadows, Rae? Nothing happened to us, but you seem to be in some kinda trouble..."

"Nothing happened?" Raven was shocked. "So it all was just a dream?"

"Nothing happened, but we are worried about you! C'mon, let's go back to the tower!"

She nodded. She was relieved by the fact nothing had happened to them at all. But... she had lost control. Was it because of the emotions towards Beast Boy? Nothing else had changed...

She noticed the rain had stopped. Now the road was a great swamp, and Cyborg cried over his baby's very dirty painting and tires. When the half-robot got in the car and turned on the engine, Raven heard someone call her name. As she looked back, she saw her father standing behind her with a grin deforming his face. She ran and tried to get to the car, but then large walls of fire caged her. She tried to fly, but she had lost her powers.


	3. The Gem and the Darkness

**Collecting the Pieces of a Broken Mirror**

_' Thought _'

"Speech"

**Chapter 3: The Gem and the Darkness

* * *

**

The other Titans saw the fire and looked at each other. Raven was in big trouble. When they got closer, they saw her father standing beside her. He punched Raven, who was making a great effort not to touch the fire. Those who could fly, flew and tried to get inside the circle of fire. Those who couldn't become airborne tried to extinguish the flames.

Starfire and the green hawk besides her tried to fly over the circle of fire and then land inside it. Useless. Each time they tried to fly over it, the flames grew higher and burned them.

_'Raven... please be okay...'_ was all her fellow Titans were thinking.

0000000000000000000000000

Raven felt the fire lick her cloak. As she raised her hand to unlock the brooch that kept the cloak in its place, she felt someone hit her back. She felt down from the strong impact and coughed. Small droplets of a deep red fell on the wet ground. She tried to stand up, but was brutally kicked and punched. She did her best not to fall in the fire, but the flames started to get closer to her, and she could feel the heat lick her skin.

Her father was standing in front of her, eyeing his daughter malevolently.

"What do you want?", she yelled as the monster laughed.

He did not answer, but simply hit her again, knocking her down and punching her back. She could not defend herself. Without her powers, she was just another girl, and another girls wouldn't do much in her situation. The monster finished amusing himself by making Raven bleed and decided to used his black magic to injure her inside.

She couldn't scream, the pain was too strong. It seemed all of her bones were shattering. She wished she'd simply die but that thing had better plans.

He growled strange words and the fire consumed him. Raven was lying on the ground, hardly breathing, bleeding from the many stabs her body now sustained.

_'It is.. not over..."_

The back of her leotard now barely covered her back, and the sleeves were almost gone, ripped cloth hanging from her arms. Raven tried to stand, but there was a loud "crack!" and she fell down, yelling in pain. She had broken her left leg. Falling over her right arm, she noticed it was broken too, as well as some ribs. '_Now all l can use is one arm and one leg... great..._'

oOo

He had seen her being beaten up. He had seen her blood running down her back. He had seen her eyes widening as she felt terrible pain from inside. And he hadn't been able to do anything for her. Nothing. He was useless. Raven could have died there and he wasn't able to do anything, not even being by her side.

He mentally cursed his weakness as the fire walls consumed the beast. As soon as the flames extinguished, he flew down and landed beside his goth... friend. He made a remarkable effort not to cry as he saw her arm and legs twisted strangely, and her breathing getting more and more painful.

"BB?", she whispered, her eyes closed.

"I'm here Rae... wait! Did you just call me BB?"

"Can't I?", she said, giggling softly and then whining because of the pain her action caused.

"Shhh, Rae, relax! I'll... we'll take care of you. And of course you can call me BB if you wanna! But for now, just try not to move or to talk, alright?"

"Am I... that hurt?"

"No! No, you're not!", he lied "Just an extra care..."

And he smiled at her, for lack of comforting words. Her eyes suddenly looked away from him, frightened. The pile of ashes had become a Red Raven, as the Raven they had previously beaten inside the goth's mind.

Red Raven used a red energy, much like Raven's, to immobilize Beast Boy and the other Titans and lift them about a hundred feet in the air. Then she looked up with all of her four red eyes and grinned at them, who tried uselessly to get loose.

Then she walked slowly to the original Raven lying on her back. She laughed demonically and placed her foot on the girl's neck, sinking her into the mud. Raven could not breathe, and her pale, grayish skin was slightly turning blue.

The Red Raven bent forward and grabbed the gem (or chakra) in the girl's forehead, taking it off. Raven did not remember feeling as much pain as she did at this moment. The wound on forehead bled and the blood blocked most of her sight. She felt darkness surrounding her as her lungs burned and the air inside her became toxic.

Then she felt the foot leaving her neck and exhaled and inhaled as much air as she could, feeling the numbness on her limbs disappearing slowly. She coughed, vomiting a lot more blood than the first time she did it.

The Red Raven had the gem on her blood-soaked hand, and looked (Gollum-likely) at it as if it was her most precious treasure. By this time the Titans were already free from her grip, and were trying to attack her. Red Raven simply ignored them.

Beast Boy was by Raven's side, trying to stop the bleeding. It was no use. He prayed silently as Cyborg shot a laser beam at Red Raven's arm and she dropped the gem.

Raven noticed this, and tried to get up.

"No, Raven! You can't! You're too hurt!" Beast Boy said as he held her down. She did not open her eyes.

"Beast Boy, release me, please.", she mumbled, her voice trembling.

"I can't! You will DIE if you go near that thing!"

She kissed his lips softly as he bent down to clean her face. Beast Boy looked at her. He understood. He should let her go.

Beast Boy loosened his grip and she gathered all of her strength. Then she stood, waiting a few moments until she started walking to Red Raven. Her eyes were still closed, but she knew the way. She tried to open them, but blood poured inside and burned her eyes. _'Cursed Demon blood...'_ . Red Raven raised her eyes and looked at Raven, who stood two feet away from her. The evil creature growled magic words and red energy surrounded the goth, swirling around.

But Raven's target was not her replica. Whining in pain, she collected the gem from the floor and whispered. Her words seemed to be a soft spell from a far away place, and her red gem turned white.

Red Raven's four eyes became full of anger and disdainfulness, and she yelled, inviting her powers to come and kill. Raven sobbed as the red swirl spun closer to her and she felt all the hatred its energy contained. All the hatred once lived inside her. So much suffering, so much pain. So many curses she carried within her blood.

'_Time to give all of this up... time to leave all of this behind.'_

She felt her powers slowly filling her body and increasing her pain.

'_No, do not cry. Do not release it again. Enough of suffering.'_

She finally opened her eyes to a red-colored world. Red from the burning blood in her eyes.

_'I do not feel the evil presence anymore. That shadow is gone. The evil is gone.' _

All of her friends were by her side. Raven had some difficulty on understanding what they were saying. It seemed they were calling her from a distant place.

"Rae!"

"Raven! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she answered as she tried not to show the wave of pain that washed her body.

Beast Boy was looking at her. He knew she was in pain, and all he wanted was to take her to the hospital and be sure she was going to get better.

"Rae," he said. "We'll take you to the hospital. You don't look nice."

"Beast Boy," she whispered in his ear as he threw her arm over him, seeking support. "I could not be better... I am... free.."

"Free? Free of what?"

She smiled at the green one. She would really miss him, and wished he could go with her. '_What? How... selfish can I be? Wishing him to come with me?'_

The bleeding on her forehead got worse, and she felt the life within her vanish silently as darkness covered her eyes.


	4. The Short, Sweet, Painful Dream Life is

**Collecting the Pieces of a Broken Mirror**

_' Thought _'

"Speech"

**Chapter 4: The Short, Sweet, Painful Dream Life is.

* * *

**

Everything was dark.

Then came a flash.

"It's not working! Charge up to 300!".

_Beeep...THUD!_ but Darkness came again.

_Beeeeeep... THUD!_

_What is this noise?_

"She's back, guys! Keep up! 3 milligrams of...

_What are these voices?_

_Where am I?_

Flashes. Flashes. Flashes. She was momentarily blind. Her hand covered her eyes, which ached a bit when her pupils reduced as an answer to the sudden light. As the pain went away, she removed her hand from the front of her eyes.

The room she was in was completely white. She found herself wearing something like a very long white tee-shirt.

_I don't remember getting changed... What has happened?_

Raven looked around. She saw people rushing up and down the room. Doctors. She called one of them. He did not answer.

"Hey! I've called you!", she said as she stretched her arm to touch his back. Her arm passed through it.

_This is an illusion. What caused it? _

A bit disturbed, she walked around the room. No doors, no windows. No walls. It seemed to be infinite.

As she continued her walk, she noticed she was no longer in the white room. Now her surroundings were black. Like a dark corridor. With a door in its end. A door emanating astonishing white light and a warm breeze which carried the faint sound of the flap of many soft wings.

Raven felt compelled to go through it. She didn't know why.

_I may just go through it, without knowing what awaits for me..._

She turned to the other side of the corridor. No light, but no strange presence either. She lifted her hand to pull back a strand of hair. Its smoothness surprised her. It was like she had never touched it, and its texture was completely new.

_Or go back to the empty place I was in before... _

She sighed, sitting on the floor.

_I just wish I was in the Tower again, with the others. With... Beast Boy._

Then she heard something like the murmur of many voices, and between all of them she could understand what one was saying. The murmur became a soft whisper, and grew louder and louder, until she was able to recognize the voice.

It was Beast Boy's, and he was calling her.

oOo

She passed out. There was too much blood.

"Take her inside the car, Beast Boy! NOW!", cried Cyborg as he turned his baby's engines.

Beast Boy did it as carefully and as fast as he could. Robin went inside the car as well, while the green elf and Starfire decided to fly to the hospital. This way, there would be more space to Raven in the car.

_'You.. cannot die, Raven! Not before I tell you how much I love you. You can't leave me...'_

"Beast Boy... she is strong. She is going to survive... I... I am certain she is", Starfire kept telling him as a way to assure herself, something that was not really working.

They both knew how hurt she was. They both knew how much blood she had lost. They both knew she didn't have many chances even to arrive alive at the hospital.

oOo

"Breathe, Raven!", cried Robin for the third time after trying again to perform a CPR. "YOU ARE NOT DYING HERE! Not inside my car, lady! You WILL make it to the hospital? Can you hear me? YOU WILL MAKE IT!"

The car's tires sang on the wet streets, breaking the silence of dawn.

Thanks to the absence of cars at that early hour, they arrived in the hospital as fast as they could possibly have done it.

The two boys watched Raven being laid on a litter and was taken to the white and cold corridors of the hospital. They also watched, madly concerned, as the doctors tried to make her heart beat again.

Soon the other two Titans arrived, and the four of them sat on the waiting room as the white sun woke up and shone. One old doctor came in the silent room.

Their friend had lost too much blood. They had made a blood transfusion, but she was too hurt inside. Most of her bones were broken, causing a internal hemorrhage. Her status was stable now, but she did not have many chances of survival.

Later, maybe around midday, they would be able to go inside her room to see her, if they wished to. They were all worried. They all felt an strange emptiness inside. Without Raven... what would they be like? How would their life be without her? It wasn't good thinking about such things at that tense moment.

The Titan's communicators went off. They were needed somewhere. They were needed in two places, actually, but could only choose one.

"I'm NOT leaving Raven!"

"Beast Boy, we have to!"

"No, I don't have to! Why? Only because there's another freak that people want us to hunt down?"

"YES! Duty must overcome friendship in this case!"

"You sound just like her, Robin..."

"Maybe because it's what she would've done in my place."

Duty must overcome friendship. And it did. It had to.

oOo

She was again in the white room. The ghost doctors were gone, but not Beast Boy's calling. Raven was confused. Where was his voice coming from?

_Beast Boy, where are you?_

She could listen to his voice clearly. He was talking to her. Maybe if she yelled...

_Beast Boy! BEAST BOY!_

Something like a window opened. Raven closed her eyes. jumped to the other side. She did not bother to fly.

Raven opened her eyes and looked at her surroundings. She saw a support for a bag of blood serum, some machines checking her status and a green skinned boy holding her grazed hand.

"Raven? Rae! Are you awake?"

"Beast Boy? Where... am I?"

"You're in the hospital. Sorry I lied to you when I said you were not too hurt..."

"It's alright... "

"It's not, Raven," he whispered, for he was close enough to her face to be heard without talking aloud. "I thought I had lost you... I felt empty, and I never want to feel like that again."

"Beast Boy? My... vision is darkening again...", she said in a faint, trembling voice. "I.. think I'm scared..."

"Don't be, Raven... I'm with you, and always will be. There's something I wanted to tell you, and had many chances to do so but lacked the confidence."

"What is it?"

"I love you, Raven. I really do. And, oh man, I love you so much! So please don't go now! Please don't leave me like this...".

He thought he had seem a weak smile lightening her face. She kissed his cheek.

"It's not a matter of choice, BB... I don't know what awaits for me... but... I want to tell you that I..."

Before she could finish, she slipped into total darkness. During her fall into emptiness she heard a loud, continuos, machine-like "beep" and identified her name between soft sobs.

Then there was nothing.


	5. What happened next and the Days After

**Collecting the Pieces of a Broken Mirror**

_' Thought _'

"Speech"

**Chapter 5: What happened next and the Days After

* * *

**

She was going to tell him something important but had no energy to do so. He was holding her hand while she was squeezing his, struggling to stay alive. Suddenly, her grip loosened and she stopped her speech. It took him a few moments to realize what had happened. The machine monitoring her status started the alarm. It wasn't a good sign.

"Raven...," he whispered, trying to wake her up as he had done minutes before. Nothing.

"Raven... Raven...," he continued, and tears found their way out of his soul.

"Raven! No, Raven, no..."

His vision was blurred from the tears and his voice was cut by soft sobs.

"R-rae... wake up! You j-just have to w-wake up, please! Raven... R-RAVEN!"

In this moment, three doctors rushed inside the room. An old nurse came and escorted Beast Boy out of the room. He had no choice but to go, he knew his presence would make the doctor's work harder and not in the least he would want to prejudice his dear Raven.

"C'mon, laddie. I will take you to the waiting room."

And she did. Beast Boy feet followed, but his mind was far away from that hospital. It was travelling in the past, collecting all the pieces of broken memories in which he and Raven were together. Not really together but at least side by side. She always was so distant and at the same time so close.

He blinked and found himself sitting on a chair. The room now had a lot of anxious people. He didn't know how many of them were hurt or had lost a truly beloved someone that day, and he didn't care. All he cared about was Raven. Was she still alive? Did the doctors bring her back again? Was she ready to tell him whatever she was going to?

Where were the other Titans? Raven was DYING, this if she wasn't already dead, and where were them?

He sat in that chair, motionless, for hours. The stupid sun was going down again and the white room was looking quite magic when he heard a voice behind him.

"Humm... Garfield Logan? Boy, is that your name?"

Beast Boy turned slowly.

"Yeah, that is me. Is there any problem?", he asked in a low voice. The doctors looked down.

"What is it? What happened?".

"Where are the other... Titans?"

"They're out, but will come back soon. What is it?"

"Humm... perhaps it is better to tell when you are all together..."

"I can tell them when they come back. Now, what is it, please!". Beast Boy almost yelled in the man's face. He was tense, and knew something had happened to Raven. _'Is that so bad he doesn't want to tell me? ... Is she...'_

"Raven Roth, isn't that her name?"

"Yes. What happened to her?"

"She's...," the doctor said slowly "... in a very deep coma."

Did that doctor just say she was in coma? His friend, Raven, was in coma? Beast Boy looked around. Alright... where were the cameras? That was a joke, right? An extremely unfunny joke for a sickly sadist TV program. It had to be.

"Her body and her brain, as you know, is immensely injured. The coma is a biological solution for that. This way, all of the internal injuries she sustained will be able to heal easier."

"So she's gonna wake up anytime, right?", Beast Boy asked. He already knew the answer.

"We cannot tell. She may wake up tomorrow, or next week, or next year... or never wake up again."

Beast Boy sat again. He felt dizzy and terribly sick.

"I'm sorry.", the doctor said. "Now the nurse is cleaning her, but after she is finished you and your friends, as superheroes, may visit her anytime you wish."

The doctor turned his back and walked away. He knew how hard it was for the family and friends of a person in such condition to take the news. His mission was to save lives, and he had done his best to save her even though it had not been enough. The doctor sighed. One more day in his life... victories and losses were very common. Victories made him keep on. Losses made he ask himself the purpose of his life. Just another common day.

oOo

The three Titans had won! That Spacey Acey was not much of a threat, but he was very fast and hard to catch. After he was handed over to the police, there was another lunatic attacking the city. This game lasted for hours. Tired, Robin offered a little rest on a pizza place. They would take some to Beast Boy, too. Cyborg accepted, since Robin said they would only buy the pizza and eat it while heading for the hospital. Starfire struggled against it a bit, but then her stomach demanded food louder than she demanded to be with Raven.

When they arrived at the hospital, Beast Boy was sitting on the sidewalk, his eyes a bit puffy and reddish, staring at nothing.

"Beast Boy, friend, what has happened?"

"Star?", his eyes sparkled, tearfully.

"BB, what's it?"

"It's Raven..."

They all looked at each other. Raven? What's with Raven? Robin took a step forward, an alarmed look in his face.

"What has happened to her, Beast Boy?"

Beast Boy looked away, trying to hide his tears. The sun went down, leaving the city in a grayish tone. Raven used to meditate until around this time, then she would go down, take a bath and read until dinner time or until she was too annoyed by the boys' arguing.. Was... Used to... A wave of sadness washed Beast Boy's mind and tried to escape through his eyes.

As the sky turned a dark, bluish purple sprinkled with stars, he told his friends all the doctor had said.

A happy little girl ran with her dog on the other side of the street. Her laughter filled the air and they noticed happiness was a faraway unfamiliar feeling.

oOo

For almost two weeks, Starfire and Beast Boy made Raven's infirmary room their home. Starfire gave up first, weak and exhausted, the fatigue driving her crazy. Beast Boy was forced to go home and spent the next two days sleeping, always haunted by nightmares. Cyborg spent more time taking care of his car, and Robin could be found in his room when not fighting stupid villains.

Daily, the Titans would go to the hospital to visit their friend. The visit would last at least two hours, and then they would go back to their now small lives.

After three months, Raven hadn't show the least sign of consciousness, and the Titans were restoring their normal routine. This because Starfire had once vocalized what their conscious was telling them since the day Raven went to the hospital.

"I think," she said one night, when they were all watching a stupid TV show "that perhaps we should try to make our daily life go back to normal."

Beast Boy looked at her incredulously "Normal? Without Raven? What a friend you are!"

"Beast Boy, don't yell at her!"

"Robin, stop it! We cannot go on pretending everything is fine!"

"She's right, BB..."

"RIGHT? THIS ISN'T RIGHT! RAVEN'S IN THAT STINKY PLACE, WITH HER MIND WE DON'T KNOW WHERE WHILE WE ARE HERE, TRYING TO RELAX AND PRETEND EVERYTHING IS RIGHT!"

"That doesn't give you the right of yelling at us. We all know how much you love Raven, BB, but stop it!"

Beast Boy opened his mouth, ready to reply, when Starfire interrupted.

"This is what I meant! I am certain Raven would never want to see us in this shape we are in, fighting this way! She would want us to be happy, and I think we should do it. If we keep mourning forever for someone that is not dead yet, what good is that going to bring?"

They were all quiet after this.

"Then shall we try? May I cook a pudding of restore while you decide what movie we shall watch?", she said, trying to smile as happily as she could.

Cyborg got the idea.

"Course not, Star! We'll go out in my baby and I'll show you guys a place on the seashore."

And they went. A little time later, the Titans lifted their glasses together. "To Raven!"

oOo

Their visits to Raven were far more light-hearted now. All of them loved their friend, and decided to bring happiness with them each time they went on a visit and hoping that would do good.

Time went by.

After a year or so, their visitations were quite scattered, and they now had a fifth member. They never forgot about Raven, of course, but now the Titans had more things to worry about: strangely their worst enemy, Slade, seemed to know their every move.


	6. Monologues and Doubts

**Collecting the Pieces of a Broken Mirror**

_' Thought _'

"Speech"

**Chapter 6: Monologues and Doubts

* * *

**

She was in a hospital room just a few seconds before, but now she was back in the weird white room. It reminded her of the adventures in the illusion caused by Mad Mod, but this time there was something very real there. A strange presence, fading whispers and a faint sound of flapping wings. It was not creepy, but it was disturbing.

She let herself fall and lay on her back, looking at the white emptiness above her. Her right hand played with her lavender strands, her eyes were closed and she felt worn out. Tired, her hand stopped its movement and simply lay there too.

All she wanted was some rest. She did not remember well what had happened and she wasn't eager to.

_Sleep. This is just a dream, so if you sleep you will wake up in your room and you will see everything is fine._

She breathed slowly.

_When I wake up, Robin will be talking to Starfire..._ _Cyborg and Beast Boy will be fighting over breakfast, as usual._

She giggled softly. Beast Boy. Was he the one she was talking to in the hospital room?

Then, among the mysterious whispers, Raven heard heartbeats.

_Ba-bump_

Very low heartbeats.

_Ba-bump_

They were almost gone, and the whispers went silent.

_Ba-bump_

The whole room changed. Each time the sound came, it turned black and in the space between two heartbeats it turned white again. Now the room was white most of time.

_Ba-bump..._

Gone... The presence, the flapping, the whispers, the heartbeats. Gone. Everything was dark, and the tiredness inside her grew.

_I just need... to sleep._

She closed her eyes tighter, tears coming down.

_Why am I crying? Why would I be sad? I can't be! I can't afford it!_

"Raven, we all miss you so much!"

_Starfire? Star! Where are you?_

"The Team is not the same without you... wake up!"

_Robin! I am awake! Where are you? I can't see anything, it's too dark here!_

"Yeah, lady. It's not funny having no one to annoy, ya know?"

_Cyborg?_

"Rae, wake up... we... I need you."

_Beast Boy? What are you talking about? I am here! I can feel your hands on mine, but I don't see you! Where are you, guys? What happened to me?_

"I couldn't believe when the doctor told me. I mean, it all was so fast!"

_All of what? What happened? Why am I... so tired?_

Raven tried to wake up, but fell down. She felt her body too weak.

_Maybe I should just stay here and listen to them..._

The voices were clear, but sometimes she could not understand what they said because it seemed two or three of them were talking at the same time. The blend of voices was somehow soothing.

"The Tower is so strange without you..."

"... you shoulda seen it, Rae! The guy was very strong! We won, but it'd be way easier if you were there..."

"... and Slade hadn't show up for at least a month..."

"...I'm tired and my back is sore, but I won't give up on you..."

"... we are all feeling, as friend Cyborg said, down..."

"...I'm sure you'd know what to do, you're very good on finding clues..."

"... and when he turned to kick me, for a moment I thought you'd maybe throw one of those objects at him, but then I realized you weren't there..."

Why were them telling these things to her? Of COURSE she hadn't been there! She was locked up in a strange, dark place where she could show any emotions she wanted and nothing would explode simply because there was nothing there!

"...I know you're there..."

"... Robin thought about... dividing the team and sending each one of us to a different city. He said this way crime would be better controlled, but he should never think about such thing! We are... teammates..."

"...my baby..."

"... my plans..."

"... we miss you..."

"... I miss you..."

"... and then he ran to..."

"... but if he thinks he can get outta this..."

"...the boys are fighting a lot lately..."

"... they want to keep on without you!"

"... Beast Boy thinks we do, but it is untrue! We just want to restart..."

"... I don't know anymore..."

"...I love you..."

"...We decided that being happy is better to all of us..."

"...including you..."

"...and then Robin said he did it, but I was the one who..."

"...Beast Boy tried to feed Cyborg some of his horrible tofu again..."

"... I am still figuring out a way to get Slade..."

"... that sucker attacked our tower again!..."

"... we will be away for a while, until everything is okay..."

"...because it's too dangerous for you if we keep coming here!..."

"... what will happen if Slade discovers you are in this room and cannot defend yourself?..."

The voices could not be heard at the same time again. Now there was a gap of time between them, and this gap became longer. Soon, she would feel the minutes pass before she heard a voice again.

"...sorry..."

"...about our absence.."

"...it's been a year..."

A year? What were they talking about? She had been in that room for what seemed to be only an hour!

"... Robin and I are together! He asked me to be his date on my last birthday!..."

Star's last birthday? Impossible... they were in December, and Starfire's birthday was in November...

"Guess wha'! We have a new member!"

"Yes, she is very powerful, indeed! And she helped us against Slade even before we asked!"

"She's great! She tells very good jokes!"

_A.. new member?_

"Hey, Rae! We will not linger here... just came to bring you some flowers, 'cause she's gonna show us a place she found. We think it's Slade's hideout! We'll come back Sunday, right?"

"Dude! She rocks! There wasn't anyone in the hideout, but it really seems Slade was there!"

"It is wonderful! I would never think about looking for him inside that place... I wonder how she found it, though.."

Raven sighed.

_Yes... She must be a lot better than me..._

"She comes up with AMAZING plans!"

"She's a great fighter!"

"She is so friendly!"

"She's so beautiful..."

"We are very happy we could find Terra..."

"Terra beat my score!"

"Terra likes my puddings... she loves the taste of the Pudding of Trustfulness..."

_Terra, Terra, Terra... is that all they can talk about? Instead of getting me out of here, they keep praising her? Well... maybe she is a better friend than I ever was... maybe the WHOLE WORLD WILL NOT EXPLODE IF SHE LAUGHS, OR CRIES OR SHOW HER LOVE FOR THEM! - _Raven felt her emotions running loose - _This if she loves them..._

Then she remembered her fight with Red Raven.

_Maybe this is a side-effect of the injuries she caused..._

She touched her forehead and her heart skipped a beat.

_Where is my gem? Something is wrong... I HAVE to get outta here...now..._

Blinding light filled the room. Her eyes hurt, but when they were used to the light she could see a white door which emanated a strange glow. It was not the first time she saw it, but this door was different. She felt no presence from the other side.

_Maybe that is my way out..._

Her body was a little better now, and she was able to stand.

_Maybe not..._

Hesitating, her hand was shaking when he reached out for the doorknob. Raven took a deep breath and turned it.


	7. Awakenings

**Collecting the Pieces of a Broken Mirror**

_' Thought _'

"Speech"

**Chapter 7: Awakenings

* * *

**

Raven looked around. No sing of a glowing door anywhere inside the cold room she was in. It was night, and since there was no moon the sky was full of sparkling white dots. Raven tried to move, but there was something holding her. She looked at her arm and saw serum being conducted into her vein. She moaned and tried to remove it.

"Stop, birdie... don't do that."

Raven looked up. The night was dark, but she could see the shade of someone sitting on the window sill.

"I didn't give you permission to call me...'birdie'", she said. Her throat ached as if it had been in disuse for a long time. "Who are you?"

"Don't you remember your old... friend?", he asked in a cold, almost metallic voice.

"You... still haven't answered me...Who are you?"

He injected a warm liquid into her left arm. Alarmed, Raven grabbed his neck. He knew he couldn't breath, but didn't seem to mind. He twisted her wrist, and her eyes turned white.

"There is no need for that, my dear Raven. My medicine will soon affect you, and you will sleep quietly until morning."

Raven suddenly felt sleepy and sank in her pillow.

"Who..."

"I am Slade," he said as took off his mask and kissed her forehead. "and I am someone you will wish not to have forgotten, dear. Now, good night."

Raven closed her eyes.

In half a second, she opened them again. It was a great autumn morning.

"I see you've finally awakened, sweetheart!", said a voice from the other side of the room. "These are great news!"

An old, mother-like nurse came to Raven's beside, taking notes and adjusting the machines.

"Can you take those off, ma'am?", asked Raven as she tried to point at the different tubes which supplied her with oxygen and nutrients.

"Of course! You are a lot better now, and won't need those...", the nurse said as she took tubes from Raven's nose and each of her arms. Raven sighed in relief. "By the way, you can call me Claire."

"Alright, Claire..."

The nurse happily walked to and fro the room and the goth followed her with her clear eyes.

"Claire?"

"Yes, darling?"

"When can I get out of here?"

"Judging by your condition, you could leave now. But..."

"But?"

"You have to wait for your friends to come and pick you up. I was the one who called them yesterday night when you showed signs of consciousness, as they asked us to do, but it is weird that none of them came here until now..."

Raven had no idea of what the nurse was talking about.

"And if they don't show up, when can I leave?"

"With your supervisor's permission... around one in the afternoon, darling...Oh, your clothes!"

"What about my clothes?"

"We have to get rid of them when an accident involving toxic gases and radioactive components happened in the laboratory..."

Raven's eyes widened a bit.

"Hoho.. but there is nothing to worry about, dear! I will get new clothes for you right now... and then I'll show you a place where you can take a bath. My, my… two years are really something, are they not," Claire said as she left the room.

'_She is someone happy with life... but did she say two years? Have I been here for this long?'_

Raven slowly got up and yawned. The cloudless blue sky peered in, and a cold breeze made her shiver slightly.

'_Two years...locked in this room... '_

She looked at a small mirror at the side of a cupboard. Raven touched her face lightly and then ran her fingers through her hair. Her long, lavender hair now almost reached her elbows. And she liked it. She was as pale as ever and her face didn't change much, unlike her body. She was in a great shape in spite of the time she had spent in the hospital, and she had really grown up.

"_What a weird sensation... I know this is me, I'm just... not used to it'_

She had already noticed her gem was missing, but its shape was still there. A diamond outline gave her a somewhat exotic look. Strange. Without the gem, she felt a lot lighter... she felt free.

"I'm sorry, dear... but I'm afraid I... whoa, are you already up?"

"I felt strong enough, Claire. What are those?"

"Oh yes! As I was saying, I could not find any suitable clothes for you... most of the donations is children clothing, so it was hard even to find these."

The nurse showed a purple nightgown. A quite short one, on Raven's eyes.

"Am I supposed to wear it... when I get out of here?"

"I'm afraid so, dear. But I have also found this," she said happily as she showed Raven a very long black coat. It would reach Raven's ankles, and it seemed to be quite warm with all of that fake black fur on its ends.

"Thank you, Claire," Raven said, smiling. She was being affected with the nurse's constant happiness.

"Oh, you're welcome, young lady. Now, here are your shoes, you towel, underwear I bought for you, and you can take a bath right there," Claire said, pointing at a door at the end of a corridor.

"Claire, I don't know how to thank you... I mean, you didn't have to-"

"I didn't, but I thought you could use a little help... by the way, would you like to have lunch with me? And don't worry about money, we can eat at the hospital's canteen..."

"I'd love to, Claire"

"Then you can meet me at the hall by midday, alright?"

"Yes, and thank you again," Raven said as she headed to the bathroom.

When she took off the thin cloth that covered her body, Raven felt cold. It was almost winter, after all. Fortunately, the water was warm. It felt great to have it running down her skin. It was a bit hard to wash such a long hair when Raven was not used to, but she managed it.

After the bath, she dressed up and didn't look so bad after all. The nightgown even matched her eyes and hair.

'_I guess I can live with this...'_

She went to her room and looked outside the window. Orange, red and brown leaves floated down the streets. A few birds chirped and hopped up and down on the naked branches of trees. The reddish grounds, the untouched pure blue of the sky, and the cold breeze blent perfectly and formed a magnificent autumn day. Raven did not remember ever seeing such a beautiful morning.

She looked at a clock hanging at the wall. Almost midday. She would better hurry if she wanted to find the hall Claire was talking about.

oOo

Beast Boy yawned. It was early, about 8 or 9.

"Finally! It was right about time, lazy cabbage," said a female voice coming from the bathroom (his room was a suite).

"Good morning, Terra."

"Hn..." she said as she brushed her teeth, wearing only pink panties and bra. After she was finished, she came out of the bathroom and started to get dressed.

"You should get dressed as well. Or have you forgotten the picnic Star planned for today?"

"Uh... actually..."

"No wonder. With a brain like yours..."

"Hey, can you stop that, T?", Beast Boy said, trying to pick up one of the tee shirts from the floor. "I had a weird dream... I could almost swear I saw Raven waking up..."

"Duh, as if I care about a stupid dream about her. Wake up! She's almost dead."

"Don't talk about her like that!"

"And if I do? Have you also forgotten I was the one who helped you out of the depression she caused?"

After that, Beast Boy said nothing.

"Which one?", she asked, showing two tank tops: a pink and a yellow one. Beast Boy shrugged.

"Useless," Terra said, rolling her eyes as she struggled inside a black top and rushed out of the room.

Beast Boy remained in his room a bit more. Then he took a deep breath and went after his girl and friends.

oOo

At their lunchtime Claire told Raven about her children and grandchildren. It was amazing to listen to all those stories, and the girl wished she had a family like that.

"Here, sweetheart. These are Jack, Lucas and Anne, my kids. Jack is still twenty-one and single, but Lucas and Anne are married...," said the nurse as she showed small photographs hanging from her wallet.

"Your children, if one could call them that, are lovely,"

"I had a hard time with them, but can't complain. They're wonderful! Here is Anne, the older one, and my first granddaughter, Tara."

"Is Tara this blonde one," asked Raven, pointing at a little blonde smiling girl at the corner of a picture. She seemed very happy, and looked beautiful and almost angelic with her blue eyes.

"Yes, isn't she beautiful?"

"Indeed"

"I think that's why she was kidnapped when she was seven years old..."

"And is she okay?"

"I don't know, we haven't seen her since," Claire sighed. "She must be your age by now, darling."

"It's a pity she is lost."

"True, darling, true..."

And an hour went by. They talked and talked. Raven felt strange about that conversation with a person she barely knew, but she felt safe. Claire was a very good person.

"Well, time is up."

"You may go home now, Raven dear."

"Yes - _Home... what's a home anyway? - _I'd better get going."

Claire smiled at her, and gave her a hug. Raven hesitated, but then hugged back her new friend.

"I want to thank you for everything you've done, Claire. If there is something I can do for you, ask me and I'll do my best..."

"Don't worry about it, Raven," interrupted the old nurse.

"But I do."

"Okay then. I need you to do me a favor. Two, actually."

"Ask."

"First, if you find ever find Tara tell her we all love her and would like to see her again..."

"I'll do it."

"Second... be as happy and live as fully as you can, Raven dear."

Raven looked at her. And could do nothing but smile. Unlike her, it's true, but she was feeling emotions new to her. Happiness. True happiness.

"I'll do my best, Claire."

"Promise me"

"I promise."

Claire hugged her once more. She had been the one taking care of her through these two years and even though she was new to Raven, Raven wasn't new to her and she really cared about the girl.

"Come down, we need you here!", said a voice coming from a window.

"I am going, Anne!", she said.

"Anne? You daughter Anne?"

Claire winked at her. "Hoho! It's time to go...", and went away, waving at the goth.

"Time to go... but where to," the girl thought as she floated over the hospital building and then above the entire city.

She spotted a large green field a few miles away from the city. A road went through it, but it wasn't much of a nuisance.

It was a good place to test her powers. They haven't been used for quite a long time, and could be dangerous when suddenly awakened.

She landed. The weather now was warmer and since there was no one around, she was able to take off her long coat. The sensation of the wind playing in her hair and silky nightgown was great and before she realized she was already in a trance. Slowly waking up from it and feeling peace burning inside her, she lay down on her back, touching the soft grass, and enjoyed herself as she let her powers play on that which seemed to be an infinite green field.

A car in high velocity broke the silence.

It would be a perfectly normal scene if the car wasn't in EXTREMELY high velocity and followed for a red-haired flying girl, a blonde flying on a rock, a robot, a boy dressed in green spandex and a green hawk.

Raven dressed her coat again. She could not appear in front of all of them wearing that short purple piece of clothing.

"Alright, time for some real training..."


	8. Lost, but not completely Forgotten

**Collecting the Pieces of a Broken Mirror**

_' Thought _'

"Speech"

**Chapter 8: Lost, but not completely Forgotten

* * *

**

She took a step in the superheroes' direction and her eyes glowed white. Raven was ready to use her powers and make the car stop, but something prevented her from doing that. Pain. A wave of pain washed her head, and she felt like her brains were about to liquefy. Hardly breathing, she raised her trembling hands and pressed them against her temples as an attempt to make the pain stop. Useless. It was dominating her but Raven simply let out a moan. Pain was something she was very used to, and it was not taking her down. NOT... taking her...

Raven heard nothing but her own hard breath. Fortunately the pain slowly disappeared and she stood again.

'_What was that?', _she thought as she noticed the car as not anymore in the road. The five superheroes were not there as well. '_Weird... where could they have gone so fast? Well, none of my business.'_

"I have to find something else to do, now.", she said to herself. Raven took off and flew over the city. Her face was as deadpan as ever, but inside she was worried. Maybe despaired.

Landing in front of the hospital, she unconsciously sat on the same sidewalk Beast Boy had seated on two years ago on a similar evening. She didn't have a place to go, and even if she did she couldn't remember it. She wasn't able to go back to Azerath, so she had to find a way of living there,

Maybe if she walked in the city streets she'd remember something. She'd have a glimpse of her past. She'd pick up a piece of her memory, like someone collecting the pieces of a broken mirror. Maybe. She'd do no good sitting there, so, feeling a bit more encouraged, she stood and crossed the street.

If Raven had lingered there a minute more, she'd see a green good-looking young man looking shiftily around and entering the hospital with a beautiful bouquet of black roses. But she didn't linger. And her worried were so many she had forgotten that, exactly three hundred Azerathrian years before, a young woman gave birth to a little girl who she called Raven.

oOo

"I'm telling you guys! She wasn't there!", said the green lad.

"And what were you doing at that hospital when we were supposed to have be out in a date, Beast Boy?", asked a blonde girl, tapping her foot impatiently on the floor.

"Terra, please! I know your weekly hanging out is very important, but now we have to worry about Raven...", said Starfire in an almost tearful tone.

"Ok, sorry, sorry!"

"The thing is, we asked them to call us if Raven showed any signs of consciousness but they didn't call!", cried Robin.

"The nurse said she did it herself. And she said she called us yesterday", replied Beast Boy.

"But no phone rang here in T-Tower, BB!"

"Actually, Cy...", Beast Boy said, scratching his chin. "Terra and I were... watching TV last night and the phone rang. You answered it, right T?"

Terra blushed as four pair of eyes turned on her.

"Y-y-yeah, of course! But it was only a weirdo who had called the wrong number, wasn't the hospital, guys."

"But then, where is friend Raven? We have to find her quickly!"

"Star," said Robin "if we go look for her tonight we'll get nothing, it's already dark."

"But-"

"Raven knows how to take care of herself, we know that. We'll go after her tomorrow morning and we'll find her, I promise."

Starfire's eyes were tearful and she looked down. Robin embraced her. Cyborg mumbled something about kicking and punching and went upstairs, probably to the training room. Beast Boy went to his room and Terra went to the roof.

Robin looked at Starfire through his mask and sat on the couch, followed by a weepy Starfire. The alien girl snuggled into Robin's arms, seeking comfort. He embraced her once again.

"Robin?", she whispered after a few minutes.

"Hm?"

"Do you think we acted correctly when we ceased visiting Raven? When we left her all by herself?"

"It was the best we could do, Star... If Slade knew Raven was in that hospital, vulnerable as she was, Raven'd be in real danger."

"But... she was our friend. I mean, she IS our friend. And friends should not abandon each other. I am worried about her... I think she did not come back because she is very angry at us.", she asked, her voice trembling. "Did we act correctly?"

"I hope we did, Star." He answered, stroking her hair and kissing her forehead. "I really hope we did."

oOo

He grumbled as he hit the punch bag.

Cyborg then stopped, panting. He growled and hit it once more, as strong as he could. Sand spread all over the floor.

He smashed the metal wall with his fist, trying to put away the anger that burned inside him. He was not angry because Raven did not come back at the tower when she woke up. Cyborg's anger was against himself.

Why didn't she go back to the tower? He knew the answer. It was obviously because they had banished her from it. Trying to put away the pain her coma caused them and trying to save her from Slade made them take that decision: let her be. How could them? How could them let her... be?

"We saved her! We did our best to be with her, but no matter how hard we tried Slade knew what we were thinking. He would have killed her. We saved her!", shouted his conscience.

"But now we lost her."

"If she hadn't wakened up, would you still feel like this? Feel guilty?" asked the voice inside his head, slyly.

"I hate myself, cuz the answer is no."

oOo

"Happy Birthday, Raven... and sorry I had to read your diary to find this out.", Beast Boy said, looking blankly to the world outside his window.

He turned and took the dark bouquet before sitting on his bed, staring at it.

"Are you angry with me?", Beast Boy asked the black roses as if they were Raven.

"It's... funny the way I always mess things up. Terra is always saying that to me. She thinks I'm funny. And I don't know if that's an eulogy or not. I mean, Terra is nice, she has just acting weirdly since last month or so. I like Terra. Very much..."

His eyes widened.

"I... no! Why am I so nervous? It's just because you woke up...? Is it? Sorry, Rae... I didn't want to do leave you..."

His window opened and a gust of wind blew the black flowers away. Their soft petals scattered all over his room and he eyed them lovingly. The black roses made him think of Raven... despite their thorns, the dark petals were soft and exhaled a sweet perfume.

He heard someone knocking at his door. "BB, it's me, Terra. Open this door." Beast Boy reached for the buttons which would make the door open and pressed them. Terra burst in.

"Hey Beast Boy. I wanna know WHY you didn't show up or our date, and I wanna know it NOW."

"Terra, sit down.", he said calmly, pointing at his bed. She sat and opened her mouth but Beast Boy spoke first.

"Look, you didn't have the chance to know Raven, but she was great. At least I think she was. When I was on my way to meet you in the restaurant, I saw these black roses and, since today is her birthday, I thought I could take those to her, I thought she would like to see them if she woke up today... I bought the flowers and went to the hospital, and I was doing it as quick as I could so you wouldn't have to wait for me... So, I'm sorry I messed up again..."

"Oh, you always do!", she shook her blonde head and her hair waved as if it was a curtain in the wind. Her blue eyes met his and he saw frustration inside them '_But why?'_. He thought. _'What did I do?'_

Terra looked at the floor. "How come you bought flowers... you bought ROSES to her and I never got a single leave from your hands?"

Beast Boy looked hurt.

"I tried once... but I think you said you didn't like flowers."

"Shut up...", she said as she kissed him.

Beast Boy was used to this. She always kissed him in the end. He could foresee her actions, and it bored him. She was the one on command. Always. And he was not the one who was going to question it. The sick part of it all was that every time she touched him like that... every time she guided his hand to her waist... every time she smiled evilly and sat on top of him like that...

He imagined she was Raven... and wished it was her.

R-Raven?

"T, stop it. I don't think I..."

"Beast Boy, that's your problem. Shut up. You think too much. Wanna know something? Don't do it. Don't.", she said as she kissed him again.

oOo

Nothing new came to her mind as she crossed streets. No memories of the time she had spent in each of them. She sighed. It wouldn't be good spending the night on the streets, the weather was growing colder.

Raven approached a field. Projectors were placed up on lamp-posts and illuminated the place. About twenty young man were playing a game she didn't recognize, and they were being watched by a small group of youngsters.

Ten lads dressed in black shirts and red trousers, while the other ten wore a white and blue uniform. The small audience went crazy when one of the players kicked a black and white ball into a crossbar. She didn't understand what was the meaning of that. Why would people cheer so much because of a ball someone couldn't hold?

Intrigued, she came closer and sat on an empty corner of the field, leaning against a fence and watching the weird game.

Raven looked up to the stars. It had been a long time since she didn't see them... she felt the cold nocturnal breeze and shivered, but she didn't feel the time pass by.

The small audience wasn't there anymore. A few players were still kicking the ball to one another, like having some fun before going home. One of them kicked the ball in her direction and Raven used her powers to hold it.

"Thanks, doll", said the boy who came for it.

She said nothing while she handed him the ball and turned away.

Jump City was quite interesting. From many places she heard resounding music and dazzling colored light escaping though dirty windows. Raven placed her hands in her pockets as an attempt to warm them up, and felt something inside it.

"Hum... coins? Notes?". A sudden thought came into her mind: '**_Claire..._**'

Raven felt her stomach demanding food. It'd me about midnight now and she had barely touched any food in her late lunch.

She stopped at a tiny, run-down tea house and asked for her herbal tea. It should be enough for her. She sat on a dark corner, as usual, and slowly took sips of her tea. There were some people talking on the corner, but she didn't pay any attention to them. She was thinking of her future. Maybe she'd fly away of that city. It'd be better... maybe she'd find a clue about her past on Earth in another place.

She'd wait until morning... but why to wait? What was she going to lose if she left that moment.

"Nothing..." she mumbled to herself.

Raven finished her tea. Her delicate hands ran through her long, beautiful purple hair. She was ready to go.

The goth stood and paid for her drink. She ignored the conversation two old men were having and headed for the door. It was a great night, perfect for a flight. But still, she could used the shadows and move faster.

Suddenly, she picked up some words the old men's hoarse voices said.

"... Teen Titans..."

She felt something stir inside her, but didn't know what. Why had the "Teen Titans" caused her that strange feeling?

She turned and went for the men.

"Excuse me...", she began.


	9. Lies and Memories Locked Up

**Collecting the Pieces of a Broken Mirror**

_' Thought _'

"Speech"

**Chapter 9: Lies and Memories Locked Up

* * *

**

"Yes, young lady?", asked one of the old men. "What do you wish?"

"Can you tell me who the Teen Titans are?"

"Oh, so you're a foreigner, right?"

She nodded.

"Well, they are a bunch of superheroes. There are five Titans... and every one here in the city loves them! They're always saving the day!"

He took a draught from his beer.

"And where exactly can I find them?"

"Oh... if you go straight this street and walk maybe ten blocks you'll find a river. That's a river, right John?"

The other old man nodded and put his tankard down.

"Yes, that's a river. And there's a big bridge there, too. Don't mind the bridge, though, lady. In the middle of the river you'll find an island with a big t-shaped tower. That's where they live. I dunno how they get that huge place cleaned up, but never mind..."

"Thank you very much."

"Anytime!"

Raven took a step back and went to the door.

"Is that all, lady?"

"Uh... actually it's not. Have they ever had six members?"

"No"

"I see..."

"But once they lost a female member, before this Terra chick joined them. I think the girl's name was Raven."

"Keh... stop talking to yourself, the lady left already!", said the old man's companion.

"I wonder how much she heard."

"Enough, I guess..."

And the two elders asked for one more round of beer as the mist and shadows outside engulfed a shivering girl with purple hair.

oOo

He woke up, startled. He had had a very vivid dream, but nothing he could remember clearly. Letting himself fall among his pillows, he closed his olive eyes as an attempt to go back to sleep. No use.

Beast Boy then looked around his messy room. Gosh, one of this days he should clean it! No wonder Terra complained so much about the mess... Speaking of Terra, where was she?

Probably back into her room, he thought. She always go back to her room... Terra totally hated his place...

Beast Boy looked at the digital clock on something that should be a pile of rotting pizza boxes. Three in the morning. Not late, but not that early too... Maybe he could go out and get some fresh air downtown, but he should get dressed first and judging by the white stains in his window, it should be pretty cold out there.

The hard part would be finding warm clothing. The dark green sweater and black pants he found inside an old schoolbag should do it, since it couldn't be freezing outside. The winter was not in its full power yet.

He looked for his wallet. It had been two weeks since he last saw it in that chaotic place. Luckily for him, he never kept his money inside it. He never kept anything in its right place.

Beast Boy opened his room's door silently and walked down the stairs, making sure he wasn't waking nobody up.

It was quite unfair to say he never kept anything in its right place, he thought. For example, he used to clean Raven's room at least once a week. Now it was two months without cleaning it, but everything was in place.

When Beast Boy realized, he was already on the other side of the river, walking up a dark street. There was someone walking in his direction, but it was way too distant and he couldn't tell if it was a girl or a boy. It didn't really matter. If that one tried anything fishy, a green tiger would come. And besides, Beast Boy had more important things to worry about. The events of the day before were quite unexpected...

Now Raven would certainly be far away from them, fury burning her insides as she'd be chanting her usual "Azerath Metrion Zinthos" and trying to forget the pain of being ignored by the ones she considered her friends. At least it is what he thought she'd be doing... what would mean he'd never see her again...

Never...

The one walking down the street was now very close. His could smell a weak flower scent. Violet scent... Raven's scent!

But that one couldn't be Raven! Could it?

Now he could identify the stranger as a girl by the way she walked and by her long hair which waved in the cold air. His heart was beating so hard he felt his chest ache.

After a moment, the girl passed by his side and threw him a glance.

As if the time had stopped, he noticed her purple hair and amethyst expressionless eyes locked on his olive ones. And he also noticed the pale skin and an exotic diamond-shaped scar on her forehead. Her beautiful lips let a cloud of steam escape. Her eyes turned away from his and her lips formed something only he could be able to call a smile.

That was Raven.

Time went back to normal and he woke up from his trance, looking for the girl he missed so much. There she was, entering an alley.

"No you don't, Rae...", he said, and ran after her.

He would never let her go again... he would rather die. He had lost her once, and history would not repeat itself this time. Not this time.

oOo

Weird. What was that feeling? That strange chilly sensation on the back of her head while something inside her burned?

She entered the first alley she saw. That unknown sensation could be a warning, maybe that good-looking green guy was someone from her past. Maybe he was dangerous...

"I hate having to live in 'maybes'", she whispered.

But what if she went back? What if Raven went after him and asked him? Should her?

No, to the Tower first.

She turned around, inattentive, but there was someone between the street and her.

"Raven!", he called, startling the absent-minded girl.

As a reflex action her eyes glowed white, and energy burst out of her, throwing Beast Boy against a wall and causing him to lose consciousness. Raven gasped as she realized what she was doing.

She released her involuntary grasp and let the boy fall to the floor loudly. A moment had passed, but the boy had not gotten up. Fearing the worse, Raven approached him slowly.

She ran her fingers in his dark green hair, trying to imagine how it got its color. All of his skin was green, and she knew so were his eyes.

Did she know him? Better, had she known him?

As she held up his wrist to check if his pulse was normal, she felt something warm soaking his sweater. It was dark, but she could tell it was blood. Raven looked for the wound, but found nothing in his arm. She then noticed the blood came from his glove.

Carefully taking it off, she saw a sharp metal piece piercing the back of his hand. Sighing and cursing the idiotic idea the green one had of scaring her, she took the metal piece off and healed his hand. Thinking of how soft it was and then mentally scolding herself, she put his glove on again and stood. The boy, thanks God, would be alright.

But something was bothering her... why was she so worried? And had he said her name? She was distracted at the time and wasn't sure if she had really heard her name or if it had been only her obsession of finding out her past on Earth.

She could think about it later. Raven sensed something abnormal from the shadows.

"Who's there?", she asked in her trademark monotonous tone.

"Why, Raven, don't you know me?", answered a cold, almost metallic voice.

"How do you know my name?"

"Oh, but I know many things about you. Many things other than simply your name. And let me answer you... my name is Slade."

She had heard that name somewhere, she couldn't only remember where or when. He continued.

"My, my, Raven! How you've grown! Your mother Arella would be very proud of you now..."

Raven was caught by surprise.

"You know my name and you know my mother's name. How?"

"I know it because... I'm your uncle, Raven. Your mother's brother."

Raven's jaw would have dropped if she didn't have so much control over herself. She was surprised, but she also wanted to laugh at him and call him an idiot. He had to be lying, and that was a very stupid lie to tell her.

"I never knew about an uncle. How can I trust you?"

"Oh, I'm sure we have a lot to talk... now, why don't you come with me?"

"And what about this boy?"

"Don't worry about him, Raven. Now, come. I'll explain everything once we are at home. Follow me", he said as he jumped to the next building's roof and kept on going.

There was something strange about that man, and Raven could sense it. But she didn't have a place to stay and that man seemed to know about her. Maybe he was her uncle, after all. Glancing once more to the still boy on a corner of the alley, she took off, hoping it all would be alright.


	10. Dreaming under Locks and Keys

**Collecting the Pieces of a Broken Mirror**

_' Thought _'

"Speech"(why do I still put this warning?)

**Chapter 10: Under Locks and Keys

* * *

**

"Follow me," he had commanded a few minutes before. She did as she was told, watching as her supposed uncle used roofs as his path.

He stopped in front of an old building. It was huge and seemed to be about to fall down any minute. Slade stopped in front of the tall and rusted door, which opened with a very loud creak. He stepped aside, bowed a bit and stretched his arm, inviting Raven to enter first.

On the inside, the building was very different. Raven was standing in a sumptuous and eerie hall. There were no lamps, only black candelabrums hanging from the walls, the faint candlelight lightening old portraits and scarce but rather charming dark furniture. Raven looked up: the roof would be about five or six meters above her head.

Such a majestic and dark place reminded her of Azar's palace. It was almost like one of its underground wings, where she had spent most of her time, had been transported to Earth.

Slade woke her up from her trance and guided her through corridors half immersed in darkness, their footsteps echoing in the marble floor.

Then they got into another hall, the floor covered by a thick crimson carpet.

"Shall I show you your room?" Slade asked.

She glared at him, and he immediately understood what she meant: she didn't care about a room or a home, but with her past and his connection with it.

"Then let us sit. You are surely tired, and we have a lot to talk about...", he said, and a pair of upholstered, wooden chairs rose from the floor. Raven hesitated a bit but a moment later the both of them were comfortably seated.

The horizon had a greenish tone when she finally entered her room. Raven covered the stained glass window with silky and heavy purple curtains. She'd rather stay in the darkness.

Her bare feet touched the smooth carpet on the floor as she examined her surroundings.

There were three black doors, and Raven supposed they would take her to the bathroom, to the closet and to the corridor, in an order she could not tell.

The walls had a dark gray tone. There were bookshelves full of books of various sizes, and candles cast eerie shadows on busts of unknown people. The bed Raven was given was covered in dark bedspread.

She hesitated a bit before lying on it, trying to think on what to do next.

For hours she had concentrated on Slade's words, seeking an error, a fault, a moment's hesistation. But she had found nothing. _"Maybe there are no faults to be found..."_ she thought, suddenly hoping his version of her history was right.

But she was an empath, and a woman, and she knew there was something very wrong behind those calculated cold words. There should be something, and she'd find out what it was.

Raven would never accept his story. She couldn't.

He told her that friendship blossomed among the Titans and her. Because of her powers. They needed someone strong enough to keep the city under control, and planned to use her. Slade, of course, tried to dissuade her from that stupid idea, but Raven had been too stubborn to accept she could be used as a pawn.

It all had seemed perfect, but her past's secrets emerged. They had to kill her, the Titans would never trust a half-demon. Mankind deserved to live, and she was not a part of it. She was a hybrid. Raven was a threat.

The Teen Titans had tried to kill her, but it had been unsuccessful. Slade had almost died to protect his niece, and now was stuck with machines inside his body too keep him alive. Raven had ended up in a coma, and had been in it for two years.

He told her not to worry, he would take care of her now.

And there she was. But Raven didn't want to believe.

Had she really been this stupid? Had she trusted the Teen Titans, and had they committed such a vile betrayal?

There would be only one way to find out, and it was to see their side of the story. But she could wait. She didn't trust Slade, and would like to see him make a mistake.

Condemning her mean thoughts towards the one who sheltered her in her situation, Raven slipped into a disturbed slumber.

oOo

"Great, everything is as planned. She will be ready soon... And you, take this back now. I do not need it anymore. Behave, and keep me informed." Slade said, standing in front of his new guest's door, as he handed a small book with a worn-out cover to a girl hidden in darkness.

oOo

Raven woke up, sweat running down her face. She had been dreaming, and by the position of the sun in the sky, not for too long.

She didn't move, afraid of forgetting her dream.

There was this big screen, and an irritating electronic melody. She could see three human forms, but couldn't discern details. Then a forth one entered the room, and all was black. Then she saw candles, and could smell orange juice. And there was a circus. And fire. And a mirror.

A mirror.

Where was her mirror? The Azerathrian one? The one used to check on her emotions?

She jumped to her feet and searched around the room, inside the closet, in the bathroom, yet she didn't find it.

If she had lived there as Slade had told her, her personal belongings had to be somewhere.

But she couldn't find them.

Reaching for the doorknob, she caught a blurred glimpse of herself on it.

Her gem.

Her mirror.

Her past.

Was it just her imagination or Slade had just slipped?


	11. The Viciousness of a Mind

**Collecting the Pieces of a Broken Mirror **

'_Thought'_

"**Speech"**

**Chapter 11: The Viciousness of a Mind

* * *

**

Olive eyes barely open, he guessed his location. By the smell, he could only be in his room. It would be absolutely normal if there wasn't something wrong. A minute ago he had been in a wet, stinky alley, after someone. Who was it again?

"Raven!" Beast Boy called. "Ra-"

"Beast Boy! You are awake!" someone shrieked and jumped into his arms. A moment later he realized it was Terra, and tried to sneak away from her embrace

"Uh…Terra? What happened? Why-"

"Oh, I thought you had fainted, or had a stroke or something! You wouldn't wake up!"

"How did I get here?"

"Huh? What're you talking about BB?"

"I was in an alley just a minute ago! I saw Raven!"

"Raven? You must have dreamed of it… The others were making breakfast and you didn't come down, so I thought there was something wrong. You were here, and you wouldn't open your eyes!" the blonde said in a trembling voice.

"No! You don't understand! I saw her! I'm sure of it! It was her, it HAD to be her!"

"Okay, Beast Boy…you're scaring me. Let's go down now and have breakfast, right? It was just a dream…"

Beast Boy nodded.

"Right… just give me a minute here, Terra" he said vaguely.

" Kay…just don't take too long! The TOFU WAFFLES I did for you are getting cold!"

Terra left and the door closed behind her. A second later Beast Boy was desperately looking for something among pizza boxes and dirty clothes. He could swear he had hurt his hand when Raven threw him against a window and a wall. Even if she had cured his wound, the blood would still leave a stain in his sweater.

There it was, carefully thrown on a chair, the sweater he was sure he had used. And in it there was a blood stain. Not a big one, or very significant, as if someone had washed the cloth in an useless effort to eliminate the evidence. But Beast Boy was keen sighted and surely had an evolved sense of smell. That was a blood stain for sure, and it was his blood.

But who could have brought him back? The image of Terra came into his mind but he quickly discarded it. If it had been her, then why had she said he was only dreaming? Had she lied to him?

Beast Boy hesitated. No, she wouldn't. Terra had always been a faithful member of the Teen Titans, and a very caring girlfriend. She had been acting strange for the last weeks, it was true... but she would never harm one of them. Ever.

He tossed the sweater aside and put his uniform on. Less spandex on this one, and he looked cooler in it. He had changed a bit in those years, and so had the rest of the team. They had all grown up, and no one can stay the same after someone very close ends up like a vegetal. But Raven was okay, after all this time, and they would go back to old times, when the team was complete. Except they were taller now...

When he noticed, Beast Boy was already in the kitchen. Cyborg whistled a tune while bacon hissed in the frying pan, and Beast Boy felt an urge to fight for his rights of eating tofu but remembered his breakfast was ready.

Robin kissed a worried Starfire's cheek and headed for the refrigerator with a mission in mind: to get orange juice.

Terra was there, trying to cheer Starfire up. Probably she was worried about Raven. So was he.

Beast Boy took a deep breath and joined his friends. Whether he had dreamed it or not, he was going to tell them about his encounter with Raven.

**oOo**

She used her mind to open the heavy door, and the silent, still air of the dark corridor entered her lungs.

She had to find her mirror and her chakra, but if she could find Slade first it would already be good enough. She was tired of games and was growing sick of him, thinking of how weird it was to be sick of someone you don't even know.

Air slowly entered her lungs as she took a breath and followed the faint candlelight through the corridors. Now that she was alone she saw a lot of doors and passages, and wasn't sure of which way to take. The place was a huge maze, and she wasn't finding her way out.

'It has to be here... somewhere', she thought as she kept walking, her feet barely touching the ground. As she passed the air stirred and its swirls extinguished most of the candlelight.

Not that she needed it anyway.

Raven could sense her surroundings and become part of it. She could easily pass through the floor and land wherever she wanted. That was how she was able to travel back to Azerath, but unfortunately she wasn't strong enough. What could she expect? She had just awakened a few hours ago, and wasn't at full power yet.

When she came to think about it, she had never really been at full power, and she wondered how it would be or what new skills she would get.

The doors that had been all around her were far behind and she kept going through the same corridor. Its walls were now closer to her, and the air was very dry, causing her nostrils to burn every time she breathed. Raven couldn't tell why she chose that way, but she wasn't turning back until she reached the end of it.

She waved her hand in front of her nose and wasn't able too see it. Since she could see nothing, Raven placed a hand on the wall on her side and let it guide her in what she felt to be a descending way.

Her feet didn't touch the marble under her, and all the girl could hear was her own breath.

Suddenly the cold wall seemed to have moved away from her touch and Raven landed. The air there was humid and slightly sickening, reminding her of a torture chamber she had been in a long time ago. There was a tall door to her right, and a beam of light escaped through a crack, allowing her to have some idea of what surrounded her. Raven found herself on the center of a circular room of stone walls, but didn't linger there.

She opened the door and promptly regretted it, because her eyes hurt in contact with the light. She moaned and waited a few more seconds before grabbing a torch and continuing her walk.

Raven pretended not to notice the heavy shackles hanging from the walls, or the blood stains on the floor. There were many passages that led to huge halls and chambers which she presumed to be used for some kind of training.

When she had first seen the building, she had imagined it to be a hideout, a decaying mansion, but its insides were like those of a palace. She had now found the palace's most hidden chambers, and was eager to see what else she'd find there. She was sure there was some kind of secret close to her. Something that'd help her to tell truth from lie.

Raven tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and kept on going until she reached a dark room. She waved the torch in front of her and discovered the room had no doors or windows. She had reached the end. Raven walked in slowly and checked every single rock of the walls, but she found nothing. Turning and taking her way back, she felt her feet touch something on the ground. Raven bent down and examined the object. It was a small book, with a filthy and worn-out cover.

But its aspect wouldn't fool her, for she had seen this book many times in her life.

Raven had just found her diary.

Ignoring the considerable dankness of the stone floor, the girl sat down and started her reading. She needed answers, and would find them very soon.

**oOo**

As Beast Boy told his story, he examined his friends' expressions. He was relieved they didn't think it had been only a dream. Starfire looked confused, as if trying to guess why Raven had forsaken them. Robin was very serious, and Cyborg seemed to be angry for a reason Beast Boy could not tell. Terra was looking at the sunny world outside their windows and seemed to be strangely disturbed.

"And then the last thing I remember is Slade's voice…"

"Slade's voice?", said Robin, jumping to his feet. "So is that guy involved in this too?"

"He said… something about family…" Beast Boy said vaguely, trying to remember the villain's exact words.

Silence fell on them. Apart from Terra, the Teen Titans knew of Raven's family. And they knew its story wasn't happy.

"Maybe Slade is manipulating her…" Cyborg muttered.

"But how can that be?" Starfire asked. "Raven is strong enough to break free of his control!"

"Maybe…" Robin said "he isn't controlling her this way, Star… what if he found a weakness? Something he can have control over?"

"A weakness," Terra asked with sudden interest in the conversation "Does Raven have a weakness at all? I mean… judging by the way you talk about her, she must be invincible!"

Robin had a half-smile on him face.

"No one is invincible…" he said, and then alarm went off.

A "Titans, go!" later, the Titans left.

The area in danger was away from the center of the city, something the Titans found odd. Usually villains attacked big stores or crowded places, but this one had something else in mind, it seemed. "Slade" echoed in the teens' heads. But they were wrong.

The endangered place was near the road they had been in the day before. More precisely, one of Robins' gadgets informed him someone watched them from a roadside forest. Something, or someone, lurked from the shadows.

"Who's there?" cried Cyborg.

The Teen Titans prepared to attack the offender. There was a rustling of dry leaves, and then silence. A human form stood among the trees, far enough not to be recognized.

"Throwing me into obliviation so soon?" said a smooth voice.

"Raven?" called Starfire. "Is that you, friend?"

"I am NOT a friend of yours, filth!" she shouted, and trees blew up "Not after what you have done to me!"

"Raven! Rae.. come here, let's talk! Are you.. okay?", Beast Boy said.

"Fine enough" Raven said, taking steps to the light and showing her face. She was wearing a long, black dress which made them think of a underworld princess. Raven's hair was loose, falling beautifully over her shoulders. Her eyes were icy, and showed less emotion than they had ever shown. They were two opaque amethyst orbs, full of hatred and dismay, adorning an ashen face.

"Raven?" muttered Cyborg "What happened to you? Why haven't you.."

"SILENCE!" she commanded "I will not accept your excuses."

"You are acting weird." Robin said, raising an eyebrow.

"Perhaps if you come with us to our home…"

"I forsook you... traitors" Raven said, raising one hand. A tree came flying their way and hit Cyborg full in the chest, throwing him a good distance away. "As you have forsaken me."

"Rae!" cried Beast Boy, running to her and grabbing her arms "Why have you done that? Why? We are friends, remember?"

"I have no friends" she muttered, smirking as Beast Boy fell by Cyborg's side with a loud thud.

"Raven… we don't wanna fight you!" Robin growled. "Quit it!"

"No." she stated simply, throwing energy blades on Terra and Starfire.

That was his limit. No matter how much he liked and respected Raven, he wouldn't let her hurt the Teen Titans. Specially his Starfire.

Robin used a fast move he jumped behind Raven and kicked her. He didn't want to use any birdarangs. He wanted to stop Raven, not to hurt her. She looked at him and hid among the trees again.

Cyborg got up, hesitating.

"Cyborg!" Robin yelled "I don't know what's with Raven, but we've got to stop her!"

Beast Boy stood. He understood Robin's orders and nodded. Stopping her didn't mean hurting her. That was the last thing he'd do, but they had to stop her. She was emotionally hurt, and they were to blame… but all they wanted was to have the whole team back. And they had to prove it to her.

Starfire followed Raven into the woods, and Robin went after the two girls.

"Are you fine?" Beast Boy asked Terra.

"Yeah, don't worry about me."

"Let's go, you two!" Cyborg called, and they nodded.

Inside the forest, Robin was far behind Starfire. Raven was quick and moved away from trees and branches graciously.

"Raven, please! Let us have a conversation, and everything shall be solved!" Starfire pleaded.

Amethyst eyes met emerald ones as Raven pushed Starfire against the ground. The alien hit her head in a stone and fell unconscious. Raven smirked as she saw blood trickling down her forehead. She wasn't dead, and the wound was not deep.

Robin growled as he saw Starfire injured. She would be okay in a few hours, but he'd never imagine his old teammate would do such a thing. Fury taking over him, he didn't see when Raven appeared by his side and hit him in the neck.

"Two are down, there are three more to go…" she said and sat on a high branch, waiting for the remaining three members of the super hero team.

**oOo**

She flipped through the pages which contained information she already knew.

The day Azerath had died. The day her father had claimed her. The injuries she had suffered. The hard training imposed to her, a lot different than the calm sessions of meditation she had with Azerath. The punishment each time she failed.

Raven shivered, every inch of her skin burning as she though of the scourges she had suffered. It used to hurt a lot in the beginning, in both her flesh and her pride. Soon her flesh would get used to it, and then the punishment would be stronger. Sometimes she would only wake up days later, and she alone would take care of the bruises and wounds. But her pride remained. After a certain point she forgot the reason why she remained unbroken. There was something Azerath had told her the day she died, but she was too young at the time and wasn't able to recall it later.

'_Here…'_ she thought, finding a page quite unknown to her '_The day I ran away and came toEarth.'_

She recognized it to be her own writing, and absorbed each word.

She had run away because her father planned to kill her in a ceremony of some kind. Because of her limited powers she only reached a close dimension, in which the Capital Planet was called Earth. Custom were very different there, but she soon got used to it. She soon found out people weren't strange, for she was the different one. She hid some time, until…

Raven turned the page, her heart pounding anxiously in her chest.

"… _I've found my uncle._", she read. Raven stopped. What was it again? She read the sentence over and over until it finally sank in.

"_He is indeed Mother's brother. They are very alike in appearance, but he behaves more like me. Slade is his name, and he teaches me many things about this world. He doesn't have any powers like mine, for I am a half-demon, and in humans similar powers can only be held by females"_

So Slade was really her uncle. And that was indeed her handwriting. No way could he copy those uncertain, bold letters. So it was truth. If it was so, what was that feeling of illusion that lingered inside her? Raven sighed and read some lines of the last pages.

'_Uncle was right. I shouldn't have trusted them. They are traitors, they used me like my father did. Used my powers, and then tried to get rid of me.. I have a bad feeling… I feel like this is never going to end. Unless they succeed in my elimination. And I think they will. And very soon.'_

Raven closed the book, she could read the rest of it later. She sensed someone very close, and lifted the torch. Slade stood in the doorway.

"So you have found it," Slade said. "Just about time, dear."

The girl remained quiet. Her long purple hair covered her eyes, but Slade knew her expression remained passive.

"Let us go, now. I assume you need some food." he said smoothly, touching her shoulder slightly.

He turned his back on her and started to walk the way he had come.

Raven stood, her diary held close to her chest.

"Slade…", she whispered without any emotion. The man stopped, but did not look at her.

"Say nothing, Raven. Everything is getting clearer now, isn't it?" he said, and resumed his march. Slade's mask hid a satisfied smile.

Raven walked behind him, their footsteps mixing and echoing in the cold, moist corridor.


	12. Bloodstained White Lie

**Collecting the Pieces of a Broken Mirror**

_' Thought _'

"Speech" (why do I still put this warning?)

**Chapter 12: Bloodstained White Lie

* * *

**

She moved so fast that when Cyborg noticed the girl on his back, pushing out several wires, it was too late. The tin man fell among the dead leaves and remained there, unable to move or to think.

Raven looked at the remaining two Titans, and saw the fear and uncertainty on their eyes. She kicked Cyborg away and stared at them.

Terra gasped. "Beast Boy, we've got no chance against her!"

He said nothing, but morphed into a fly to get closer to Raven and then into a giant snake, trying to hold her. Raven's hand went mechanically to his head, squeezing it as hard as she could and forcing him to release her unless he'd rather have his skull crushed.

"Raven, stop! Please! You've gone too far!" he said as he escaped from her deadly grasp.

"I know no limits. And you are NOT the one imposing me them."

Terra's eyes turned yellow, but Raven noticed her move. "Azarath Metrion Zynthos" she said nonchalantly. Dark energy emerged from the ground in the form of chains, grabbing Terra's wrists and ankles, and making it impossible for her to move away. Terra tried to fly away in a boulder, but Raven's powers were far stronger and held her in her place.

The blonde looked at Beast Boy, asking for help. "Don't even try it…" Raven said.

She raised her skirt's hem only enough for them to see a dagger tied to her ankle. She removed it easily, and a split second later she was behind Terra, pulling the girl's hair down so that she could have a perfect vision of the blonde's neck. Raven's pale hand held the dagger's blade very close to the girl's throat.

"Let me go, witch!" Terra cried.

Beast Boy tried to move, but Raven's cold stare made him freeze. If he moved again, he knew the dagger would taste Terra's blood.

"Witch, you say." Raven whispered to Terra, her eyes fixed upon the green teenager only five meters away. "Better a witch than a bitch like you. And they were audacious enough to replace me with such a disgraceful creature…. Your existence is reason enough for you to be punished. And I'll grant you that."

As if in slow motion, Beast Boy saw the dagger's blade move closer to Terra's throat. She was really going to cut it. Terra's eyes widened, and the ground shook enough to make Raven lose her balance for a moment.

Beast Boy morphed into the first creature that came into his mind, a mammoth, and charged. He had to take Raven away from Terra. For the sake of them all.

He felt his gigantic body hit Raven, and then he closed his eyes and kept running. Then he felt his tusk piercing something, and then it got stuck.

Beast Boy morphed back into his human form and opened his eyes. He was covered in blood. Without second thoughts, he looked to the dead tree in front of him.

And immediately regretted it.

Raven was there. She had a hole in her stomach, probably caused by his tusk, and the dead tree's sharp branches stabbed her back. He was able to see their extremities coming out of her chest. Raven's hair covered her face, and he could tell she was looking down. Blood dripped from her mouth.

Beast Boy got Raven off the tree and brushed her bloodied hair from her face. She was paler than ever, but her countenance was so peaceful he moved slowly not to wake her up.

But she wasn't waking up. Not anymore.

His eyes widened and he held Raven's body closer, not minding the blood, as he realized the truth.

Raven was dead.

"Beast Boy…" Terra whispered, her eyes full of tears. He threw her a very significant glance, and she understood. Her voice was shaky but she managed to say "I'll… I'll check the others…".

He knew she was crying, he could hear her sobs as she ran to the place she had seen Robin and Starfire. Cyborg would be okay. But Beast Boy didn't look at her. He was afraid of. He was disgusted. He despised himself. He shook hard, and his legs wouldn't support him. Beast Boy fell to his knees, too shocked to scream or to cry. He kissed Raven's forehead, her gem in a red as deep as her blood.

So was that how it felt to kill someone? To have a horrid void consuming his insides? A feeling he was never going to be happy again?

Tears didn't make their way out of his eyes, but they hurt his insides instead. They fought the void, which was trying to take over, for their right to cause pain.

oOo

Terra ran fast and faster. When she was distant enough from Beast Boy, she stopped her act. Everything was as Slade had planned, and her own plans were working. Without Slade's knowledge, of course. She heard a grunt. Robin was waking up. Terra took a deep breath and started to fake sobs and tears. She had to tell the others about Raven's demise, so she was supposed to be very sad for she had been the cause of it.

At first, pretending to feel what she wasn't feeling had been hard. But she got used to it. Sometimes, even she couldn't tell if what she was feeling was true or not.

oOo

He eyed her with interest. The way she held the goblet of wine and took it to her lips, the she slowly drank some of the wine. The way she delicately put the goblet down and coldly stared back at him as if asking why he was staring at her. Had she inherited those manners from her mother Arella, or had it been Azerath who taught Raven how to behave like royalty?

It was fun, in a certain way, to watch her. If only he had known this before, he wouldn't have wasted so much time researching Robin's life. Having Terra to steal Raven's diary from the Tower and creating a duplicate with some different information had indeed been very useful. First half of his plan's part A was successfully complete. There was only one little thing to be done. And it had to be done right.

Slade broke his eye contact with Raven and looked at the huge clock on the wall to his right. Five o'clock. Terra should already be finished by that time.

He eyed Raven once more. Slade took his goblet up and smelled the wine. Sweet. He took a sip of it before speaking.

oOo

She liked his mansion. Except for the dungeons, which brought an overflow of bad memories, the whole place seemed to have a soothing effect on her.

The mansion was alright. He wasn't. She took a sip of wine. Even though she was sure she had been the one to write good things about him in that diary, her very instincts told her there was something wrong.

She knew about temporary amnesia, and hoped that she was suffering of it. Soon, very soon, she would know the truth. And he'd better not be lying to her. She hated to be used. Snapping out of her thoughts, she noticed he was staring at her. She stared back.

Odd. He seemed to be amused. She knew Slade wasn't simply daydreaming. He was looking at her. Right into her. They fought a motionless silent battle until he turned his eyes away and checked the time.

Uncle or not, he was annoying her. Constantly teasing and mocking her. His attempts on her sanity would pass unnoticed by others, but she was an empath. She sensed no real danger from him, but still...

She kept staring at him while he calmly drank some of his wine. He was smirking behind his mask, Raven knew that. The question was... why?

"It will take some time before you can trust me, Raven, I know that," he said. She didn't answer.

"I also know the diary wasn't proof enough for you. I know. I understand."

He took one more sip. She was feeling uneasy, and he sensed that. Slade smirked once more. Raven was smart, he had to admit.

"Take as much time as you need, I say. I will not force you into remembering. It wouldn't do us any good."

He locked his eyes on hers, defiantly. They battled again. His words were calculated. Cold. Planned. He knew more than she did, but Raven would never compliment him for that. He was hiding something. And she'd take her time not only trying to regain her memories, but also manipulating him and unlocking that secret. Yes, manipulating him.

She didn't care if he was her relative or not, her family had never been exactly what people called loving or caring. Whatever he was hiding, she would find. Sooner or later.

"Please correct me if this is wrong, Raven, but it seems you are still uneasy about the Teen Titans..."

Her face remained passive, but her eyes somewhat changed. There was a flicker of something he couldn't identify. Slade took it as a good sign.

"That's why, Raven, I want you to go and verify the truth for yourself. Go to the Titans Tower. See their faces. Listen to their lies. I know this is what you were going to do before I found you, but I didn't want you to go unprepared."

"I am not weak. Do not underestimate me, _uncle_", Raven spat.

_'My, my... getting a little sensitive, are we?' _Slade laughed inwards.

"I am not underestimating you. But I know how sly they can be. Even you were caught in their lies once."

She felt as if she had been slapped. If all of this was true, so were those statements. How would she know if they were lying?

Raven felt sick. She would have to choose between two stories, not knowing which one was true. Perhaps none of them were, but she couldn't just go away. Not for now. She had had a life in that city, and was not leaving it behind.

"I will visit them, eventually."

"You could go tonight, if it feels right to you. Whatever your choice might be, at least you will have a tranquil night of sleep" Slade said and then left, disappearing in one of the vast corridors, the one opposite to the corridor that would take her back to her room.

Raven sighed and stood. Slade was right. She had to go as soon as possible.

She would go that night. And then everything would be settled. Or so she hoped.


	13. Encounter

_Phew! It's been a long time, hasn't it? Well, I'm back!_

_I'd like to thank you people for reviewing. You've all given me the strength I needed to write this chapter. _

_And if you have ANY suggestion you could offer me, well, offer me! _

_AFTERDARK, this chapter is for you! Heh, I think I'd never update it if it wasn't for the promise I made you about how no one would hear from me until I updated this story._

_Love you all,_

_DarkRavenna _

**Collecting the Pieces of a Broken Mirror**

_' Thought _'

"Speech"

**Chapter 13: Encounter

* * *

**

They buried her as the sun set. Her grave had been ready since the doctors had told them she wouldn't make it, two years before. They wanted to make sure she would always be near them, and since Raven had no family in Earth they chose to bury her in their island.

The Titans were familiar with the idea of Raven's death, but it wasn't supposed to be like that. She wasn't supposed to die in the hands of one of their own. It was just... wrong!

Starfire fell asleep on the couch, exhausted after all the crying. Robin was by her side, unable to comfort his girlfriend or himself. The last two days had been a total mess in their lives. First, Raven's disappearance. Now her death. At least Slade hadn't showed up these days, which was unusual. Maybe even a villain could show some respect for the heroes' pain. Robin shook his head. Slade wasn't respectful, and knew nothing of mercy, or love. He probably wasn't human, since humans have feelings whether they want it or not.

Robin looked at the purplish sky outside. He knew Cyborg would be looking at the same sky, probably from the Tower's rooftop, alone. Robin heard someone open the Tower's front door. Terra.

"Where are you going?" he asked. She gave him a weak smile before answering.

"I'm going for a walk. I guess I don't like all this tension." she sighed "And I never really met Raven, so I can't grieve with you guys. Sorry."

Robin shook his head again. "And what about Beast Boy? How's he?"

The blonde shrugged and left.

oOo

Beast Boy was standing in front of the door, staring blankly at the letters that formed the word 'Raven'. Raven was only a word now. And many memories.

She wouldn't mind if he entered her room again, would she?

"No... she can't." Beast Boy whispered, waiting for the door to hiss open and allow him to go in.

He coughed a little because of the dust, but soon got used to it. He was the one to blame for the dirt, after all. Beast Boy inhaled, trying to smell the subtle lavender scent that was always present in Raven's room. But there was nothing left of it now.

He wanted to scream, to hit himself, maybe to take his own life. That'd pay his debt, wouldn't it? That'd make him feel better, wouldn't it?

Everything was dusty and old inside that room, and it made him sick. He'd have to clean it later. Actually, he'd clean it now.

Beast Boy walked to the bookshelf by the door and brushed spider webs away with his hand. He placed each book carefully on the floor and gave a half-hearted grin. Raven hated it when people messed with her stuff, and it wasn't because she was d-… absent he'd do it. He noticed one of the books was way less dusty than the others. That meant someone had read it not long ago. It was Rae's diary, or journal, as she always had called it. "Diary is for the innocents," she'd say.

Even though Raven was a half-demon, she had always been an angel in his eyes. Not that he had ever told her that, of course. And now he regretted it. He should have told her he loved her when he had the chance. But he had let the chance pass, stupid Beast Boy, and now he'd never have another.

He'd have to love another person. But he didn't want it. He wanted Raven, was that asking for too much?

Beast Boy dragged his feet across the room to the window, which was located behind Raven's bed and hidden under heavy, black curtains. He tied the curtains as to allow some light in. The sun had already set but the blinding neon hues of the city had already been switched on. Cars were blowing their horns. Another ordinary night in Jump City.

That night, however, the lights were too blinding and made him see things that weren't there. Like the girl standing on the island's shore. He blinked, rubbed his eyes, and looked again.

The girl was still there.

oOo

She had come that far, and was not supposed to turn back now. She didn't really want to turn back, but there was something that made her uncomfortable. Was it guilt? But why would she feel guilty?

The Titans Tower stood majestically in front of her. It was a massive building. Menacing to some and comforting to others, carefully designed to show how influent and powerful the Teen Titans were. A smart technique, she had to admit.

A green eagle landed in front of her and morphed into a green young man. She took a step back in the rocky shore, but her countenance remained cold.

"Raven...?" he asked, confusion easily read in his eyes and an uncertain smile on his lips. This was the guy he had seen before, when Slade found her. He was a Teen Titan, then. Her heart skipped a beat. He looked scared and... happy? "But... but how? I'm sure you… I'm sure I kil-"

"Killed me. I see." she said. Slade was right. They had tried to kill her. She had been stupid, she had nothing else to do there.

He stared at Raven, dumbfounded, as she took off and left. He couldn't believe he had seen what he had just seen. She was... alive? This Raven was different from the one they had met in the morning. Her eyes were not as cold... and she didn't have a stone in her forehead.

Beast Boy slapped himself mentally. The scar! He had been so stupid! Raven had her chakra removed two years before, and this one had the scar. The other one didn't. The other had been a fake.

He called the other Titans in their communicators and darted off after Raven. He didn't need to be Robin to know Slade was involved.

oOo

She could go back to Slade now and expect her trust in him to grow. Because of her pride, however, she would never admit to him she had been wrong. Raven would never admit she had hoped, even a little, that he had been lying to her and that she had never fallen into a trap like the one they had set her two years before.

Of course, there were things she knew he was hiding. She wouldn't rest until she knew what they were. And then she'd leave when she was fully recovered.

There was nothing for her there.

She glanced over her shoulder to see two flying creatures leaving the island. They were carrying two people.

What were they doing? Going after her to make sure she died this time? If the Titans found her she could just knock them cold, couldn't she?

They would not find her, she thought as she landed on the garden of a house in a quiet neighborhood. Since she was probably expected to fly away, she could stay there just wait for them to get tired before she went to Slade's hideout.

Or she could go to their home and take a look inside. Raven didn't have her gem with her, and she didn't have her mirror. Neither did Slade, she supposed.

Whoever's lies were true, her possessions would probably be with the Titans.

"What a waste of time…" she said to herself as she walked away, careful enough not to fly until she was sure there was no one looking. "Going back to that place five minutes after I left it…"

oOo

Although Beast Boy could be hallucinating when he saw Raven, her death was yet to be accepted by the Titans. They clung to the hope she was alive as if their own lives depended on it. Beast Boy's hallucination or not, each one would search a part of town. Surely, if Raven was alive they would find her sooner or later. The sooner the best.

Robin landed on the top of a building and waved at Starfire. She waved back and left. Robin took his communicator and called Terra.

A minute later the blonde was already supposed to be heading to the sector assigned to her.

oOo

Terra sat under a tree in the park and relaxed. Five minutes before a lavender-haired girl had walked past her in the street and towards the Titan's Tower.

But she had to call Beast Boy before she could tell Slade was as planned.

"BB? It's Terra," she said, trying to sound as excited as she could.

"T? What happened?"

"Hey, listen, I think I saw Raven just a while ago… she was going to the Tower!"

"You- She- What? Was she?"

"Uh, I'm not really sure she _was _Raven, so I think you'd better check it out!"

"Wait, I'll call the others,"

"NO!" Terra shouted, her voice full of anger for a moment until she put up her act again. "I mean, I don't know if I saw it right, and I don't want them to think she's back before we're sure of it… and besides, if I'm wrong and they all go back then Raven could get away and we won't be able to do anything about it!"

Beast Boy hesitated.

"Okay, I got it," he said just before he ended the call.

Terra smiled with satisfaction and put her communicator away. The way things were going, Slade would be pleased… and vulnerable. Weren't the stars pretty that night?

oOo

The door was unlocked so she could go in without trouble. What kind of superhero would leave the door open, anyway?

The red carpet on the floor, those grey walls. Who knew how many times she had seen them before? There was some sort of warm feeling inside her, but she didn't know what it was. Hell, she couldn't even remember being able to _feel_ so freely.

Raven walked past a kitchen and a gigantic screen. She was sure the rooms were upstairs. She walked until she found a hallway. There were silver doors on each side of it.

There was the word "STARFIRE" engraved in one of them. "CYBORG" was a little ahead.

Raven held her breath as she stood in front of a door with her name on it. There were more stairs after that, but she wouldn't use them as she wouldn't need to look further.

She touched the cold door and it opened with a hiss. It was dark inside, but she went in mechanically. It was like she already knew where everything was, though she wasn't sure of what was "everything". Stupid. She was supposed to know it, she had lived there!

Raven turned the lights on. They weren't very bright, but were good enough for her. She had never liked bright lights anyway.

The room was almost a perfect copy of the room she was given by Slade. Or was it the other way around?

She blew the dust off a stone globe she supposed represented that planet. There was a lot of dust everywhere, but it didn't seem to be two year's worth.

Raven ran her fingers through the backs of many old books, lost in thought. Where would her gem be? What about her mirror? Would they be there or were they destroyed?

She heard footsteps. Too close to the room she was in, she wouldn't be able escape without being seen.

She heard the door's hiss once again and as she turned around she saw a panting green-skinned boy standing on the doorway.


End file.
